


Best. Job. Ever.

by TrashcanMarvelFan (cajungirlkye)



Category: British Actor RPF, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel Cinematic Universe RPF, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alcohol consumption but they're both over 21 so should I even tag it?, But as Tom said he's British so that's what he does, F/M, Fluff and Angst, For an assistant the reader does very little assisting TBH, Harrison ships it, Just Slight Angst Though, Mostly Fluff, Swearing, Tom Holland is So Freaking Adorable, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-04-24
Packaged: 2019-10-27 23:10:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 21,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17776001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cajungirlkye/pseuds/TrashcanMarvelFan
Summary: Reader gets a job on the set of Spider-Man: Far from Home for the 3 weeks they are shooting in New York City as what she thinks is a production assistant, but a twist of fate has her reassigned as Tom Holland's personal assistant. As she & Tom grow close during filming, will their budding friendship turn to more or will they go their separate ways after filming concludes?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> As this was written WAY before Spider-Man: Far from Home was released (actually before Avengers: Endgame was as well) I've kept plot details and which scene was being shot on what day extremely vague.
> 
> Also, I'm American but tried to write Tom as British as possible, although I do think he'd try to stay(ish) in character and use as much American slang as he could while he's still playing Peter.
> 
> Rated T for (legal) alcohol consumption and some language.

“I really need your help here,” Y/N's best friend Laura said over the phone. “Please, Y/N.” 

Laura had wanted to direct films, so she immediately moved to L.A. upon Y/N’s & her college graduation that past spring to work in the film industry. So far she had worked as a production assistant on a few feature films and was currently scheduled to work as part the Spider-Man: Far from Home crew, but she had been offered a position as a 3rd assistant AD on another film after the director saw one of her student films, which unfortunately required her to drop out of the Spider-Man crew. Before leaving Laura had promised that she would find a reliable, trustworthy replacement.

“I don’t know,” Y/N replied.

“I promised Anna I’d find a replacement PA since I had to back out. You don’t start your new job for like a month, right?”

“Right…”

“It’s only for the final 3 weeks of shooting, while they’re in New York. They’ll put you up in a hotel, you’ll get to meet the cast, and you’ll get to see the city! Think of it as a paid vacation… that makes you work for it. You might actually get to meet Tom Holland himself!”

Y/N sighed wistfully.  She had had a crush on Tom Holland ever since she had seen him in _Captain America: Civil War_ , and had loved him in both _Spider-Man: Homecoming_ and _Avengers: Infinity War_. Laura wouldn't have recommended her if she didn't believe that Y/N could do it, right? “You’re so lucky I love you… and that I really need the money.”

Laura squealed. “So you’ll do it?”

“Yeah, I’ll do it.”

“Great! I’ll let them know and send you the details.”

One week later, Y/N stepped off of the plane in NYC. She grabbed her bags from luggage claim, caught a cab, and headed to her hotel to check in and drop her luggage off before catching an Uber to the crew meeting.

She nervously tapped her foot the entire way to the filming location. Once she had arrived, she made her way through security and to the set.

She spotted a woman holding a clipboard, who was directing various people where to go, so she walked over to her. “Excuse me, I need to check in. I'm the new production assistant, taking over for Laura Pearson.”

The woman peered over her glasses at Y/N. “Name?”

“Y/F/N.”

The woman glanced at her clipboard. “Y/N, Y/N”, she muttered, running her finger down the page. “Ah. Yes, we’ve been expecting you. You’ve actually been reassigned from production assistant to personal assistant to Tom Holland.”

“Wait, excuse me-- What?”  Y/N thought that there was no way that she had heard right. “Did you just say that I’m Tom Holland’s _personal_ assistant?”

The woman nodded. “Yes, well, Tom’s in need of an assistant for this leg of the shooting and you seemed like the perfect choice.”

Y/N was still convinced that there had been a mistake. “But I’ve never even worked on a movie set before. When I was told I’d be a P.A. I assumed that meant I’d be a _production_ assistant to the director or something.”

The woman arched an eyebrow. “Is there a problem? You came very highly recommended, and your background and references were excellent.”

Y/N shook her head. “No, no problem. Just surprised, is all.”

Suddenly things started to make sense.  She had thought that the NDA Sony had made her sign had some extra clauses to it regarding speaking to the media about the cast, and the hotel she was staying at was more fancy than she had been expecting. Tom must be staying there.

The woman handed her a manila envelope. “Here’s Tom’s schedule for this week. On Saturday I’ll give you his schedule for next week, and next week I’ll give you the final week’s schedule.  You’ll be meeting with him at the hotel restaurant at 5 pm today to go over it and to make sure that nothing conflicts or has changed in his availability. We start shooting tomorrow. Any questions?”

Y/N took a deep breath and shook her head. _What is my life?_

She went back to her hotel and reviewed Tom’s schedule, noting with relief that she would have Sunday off, which would at least give her one day this week to go sightseeing. _Better than nothing, I guess._ She had hoped to be able to do some exploring before filming started the next day but instead opted to take a nap before her meeting with Tom.  Jet-lag must’ve hit her harder than she thought, because Y/N slept for longer than she thought she would’ve. Luckily she had set an alarm, which gave her enough time to shower, throw some fresh clothes on, and get downstairs to the restaurant about 10 minutes early.

She gave her name to the hostess and was led to a small table in the back of the mostly-empty restaurant. A few seconds later their server came by. “Hi, my name is Michael and I’ll be taking care of you. Is someone joining you tonight?”

“Ahh, yes, actually. He should be here any minute,” Y/N replied.

“Ok, great. Can I get you anything while you wait?”

Y/N bit her lip. She was working, so… “An iced tea and a water would be great to start with.”

“Ok, I’ll get you that tea and water and be back momentarily.”

“Thanks so much.”

As Michael walked away Y/N checked her phone and noticed that she had a message from Laura. _How was the crew meeting?_

 _I have so much to tell you,_ Y/N responded. _But it’ll have to wait._

She put her phone away.  Michael came back with her water and she thanked him before pulling out Tom’s schedule.  She was reading over it again when she heard a crisp British accent. “Excuse me, Y/N?”

She looked up and her heart skipped a beat. _Holy shit._ Tom Holland himself stood in front of her. “Um…” she stammered. “Yeah. I mean yes.”

“Hi, I’m Tom,” he said, taking a seat across from her and sticking his hand out.

Y/N shook his hand. “Y/N… but you already knew that.”

Tom grinned. “Nice to meet you.”  He leaned back in his chair as Michael returned once more.

“Hello there! I’m Michael. Can I get you something to drink?”

“Um, yeah, I’ll take a water.”

“Ok then, I’ll give you a few minutes to look over the menu and then I’ll be back.”

Tom picked up the menu. “I’m famished. Y/N, would you like something to eat?”

At the mention of food Y/N’s stomach growled loudly, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten yet that day. Her eyes widened in embarrassment.

Tom laughed. “I’ll take that as a yes.” He picked up his menu.

“So,” he said once Michael had returned with his water and they had placed their orders, “tell me about yourself. I figure if we’re going to be working with each other for the next few weeks we ought to get to know each other, am I right?”

“Um, right,” Y/N agreed. “Well, I’m originally from (hometown) but I recently graduated from the University of Chicago with a degree in English with a focus on journalism.”

Tom looked impressed. “How on earth did you wind up as an assistant on a movie set then?”

“My friend and former college roommate Laura was originally scheduled to be a production assistant on this shoot but had to back out, so she asked me to fill in. I was recently offered a position with a publishing company in Los Angeles, but I could really use the money while I’m waiting on my background check & paperwork to go through, so I agreed to help her out, plus this is my first time in New York so I thought it’d kind of... be like a vacation? I really wasn’t expecting to be your assistant for the next 3 weeks… Not that it’s a problem!” she quickly corrected herself. “I just… It’s just not what I expected to be doing.”

Tom was obviously amused. “Well, it’s not the most glamorous job in the world since you basically have to follow me around everywhere, but I promise to make it easy on you.” He winked then pulled out his phone. “Since we're going to need to stay in touch over the next few weeks how about you give me your mobile number and email address? Anna didn't give me your personal information, just your name.”

Y/N flushed slightly. “ Oh um, sure. And thanks.” She rattled off her phone number and waited while Tom added her contact information, then  picked up Tom’s schedule. “So since shooting starts tomorrow, shall we go over your schedule?”

They hashed out the details of the next week in between bites, Y/N making notes in her phone and setting alarms so she wouldn’t forget anything.

Once they were finished, Tom insisted on taking care of the check. “It’s on me. It’s the least I can do to thank you in advance for keeping me on schedule.”

“Oh, well, thank you so much,” Y/N said.

They left the restaurant and headed toward the elevator together. “Which floor?” Tom asked.

“10,” Y/N replied.

“Oh, is that so? I’m actually on the 10th too.”

“Cool,” Y/N replied. “Oh that reminds me, since I have to come pick you up from your room… which one is it?”

“Right, I guess that would be important, wouldn’t it?” Tom chuckled. “I’m in 1043.”

“Ok, so, a car is supposed to pick us up at 7:30 tomorrow morning to make sure you’re at the set for 8,” Y/N confirmed, so I’ll be around about… 7:15ish?”

“7:15 it is,” Tom nodded.

“Umm… do you want me to pick you up some coffee in the morning? Oh wait, you’re British, you probably don’t drink coffee. Tea then?”

Tom laughed. “Actually I DO drink coffee, and that would be lovely, thank you.”

“Great! There’s a Starbucks in the lobby of the hotel, is that ok?”

“Yes, that’s perfect.”

The elevator doors opened on their floor and they stepped out into the hallway.

“Ok, well, I’m this way,” Y/N said, pointing in the opposite direction of Tom’s room.  “I’ll… see you tomorrow?”

“See you tomorrow. Good night, Y/N.”

“‘Night, Tom.”

As soon as Y/N got in her room she pulled out her phone and Facetimed Laura.

“Hey, Y/N,” Laura answered. “What’s up?”

“So when were you going to tell me that I was going to be _Tom Freaking Holland_ ’s personal assistant on this shoot?” Y/N hissed.

Laura’s eyebrows went up in surprise. “What? You’re kidding, right?”

“Nope. I walked on set fully expecting to be a production assistant helping everyone out, not personal assistant to the star of the freaking film! What the hell did you tell these people about me?”

“Just that you were super reliable and trustworthy and a little about your background. You’re the one who sold them on you with your phone interview and resume. This is a good thing,” Laura reassured her. “I’m sure it’ll be a lot more fun keeping Tom on schedule than running around set as a glorified gopher who hands out scripts and fetches coffee for everyone.”

“Well that's true, plus the pay is actually double what I would’ve originally made, and they put me up in a swanky hotel,” Y/N replied.

“Well see, it’s definitely working out!” Laura paused. “Have you met Tom yet?”

Y/N sighed. “Actually, yeah. We just had a dinner meeting.”

“Is he as cute as he is on screen?”

“Oh my gosh, Laura, he’s even more adorable in person, and he seems really nice. And that accent-- So dreamy.”

Laura squealed. “Take lots of pictures and send them to me!”

Y/N laughed. “I have to be professional, but maybe I’ll be able to get a selfie with Tom before filming is over.”

A bell rang in the background and Laura looked over her shoulder. “I’ve got to go, but have fun and keep me posted!”

“Will do! Bye!” Y/N ended the call.

She brushed her teeth and got ready for bed. _8 PM in New York City and I’m already in bed_ , she thought sardonically. _What a wild life I lead_.

She snuggled in bed with her tablet and rewatched _Spider-Man: Homecoming_ before falling into a dreamless sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Y/N woke up before her alarm, so she got ready early and headed downstairs to get her and Tom each a coffee before going back up to their floor.  She knocked on Tom’s door and was looking at her phone when the door swung open.

“Good morning, Tom, are you--” Y/N’s eyes widened as she looked up.

Tom stood before her in nothing but a towel, a toothbrush sticking out the side of his mouth.

_Holy shit, he’s practically naked_ , she thought, feeling her face heating up _._ “I’m-- I’m sorry, apparently I’m early, I’ll come back--”

Tom yanked the toothbrush out of his mouth. “No, no, come in, it’s fine.”  He stepped out of the doorway and ushered Y/N inside, gesturing to the armchair in the corner. “Make yourself comfortable. I’ll just be a few moments.” He disappeared into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

Y/N had seen Tom shirtless on screen before, but nothing compared to seeing his chiseled abs in person. _Mmmph_.

She mentally shook her head before placing Tom’s coffee on the dresser and sitting and taking a sip of her own, letting the warmth of the coffee calm her. _Get it together, Y/N_. _You're here to do a job, not moon over your celebrity crush_.

A couple of minutes later the door opened and Tom stepped out, fully dressed this time in a pair of jeans, sneakers, and a blue plaid button-down shirt. “So sorry about that. I was up late studying my lines so I got a bit of a late start this morning.”

Y/N checked the time as she stood. “It's ok, we have a couple of minutes to get downstairs.”

Tom hurried to drink his coffee then grabbed a hat and his sunglasses so he wouldn't be recognized, and he & Y/N made their way downstairs to the hotel lobby.

As soon as they stepped off the elevator, Y/N's phone buzzed with a text. “Perfect timing. The driver's here.”

They exited the hotel to find a nondescript newer model black town car waiting for them.

“Mr. Holland, Miss Y/L/N,” the driver greeted, shaking their hands briefly.  “My name is James, and I'll be your driver to and from set while you're in town.” He stepped over to the car and opened the door for them.  

“Ladies first,” Tom insisted, gesturing to the car.

Y/N slid into the back seat, Tom following behind her. They buckled in while James settled himself in the driver's seat.

“Okay,” James said once he had buckled in and eased the car into traffic, “we’ll have you at your destination in just a bit.”

Tom pulled out his phone and started scrolling through it, so Y/N took advantage of the silence to look out of the window. A few seconds later, her phone buzzed with a notification.

**Instagram: tomholland2013 just posted a photo.**

She glanced over at Tom, who had just put his phone away. She tapped on the notification and Tom’s Instagram popped up.

It was a selfie that he had obviously just taken, with the caption “On my way to set. Can’t wait for you all to see the finished product! #spidermanfarfromhome”.

She grinned over at Tom, who had been watching her. “You’re really good about keeping your fans in the loop.”

“You follow my Insta?” he asked with a smile.

“Yeah, I have for a while. I follow a lot of the Avengers cast.” Y/N shrugged, like it was no big deal.

Tom pulled his phone back out. “What’s your username? I’ll follow you back.”

Y/N gave him her Instagram username and sure enough, a few seconds later she received another notification.

**Instagram: tomholland2013 is now following you on Instagram.**

“I'm going to have to screenshot this momentous occasion so I can post it to my Insta,” Y/N joked.

Tom laughed. “I can do you one better. How about a selfie together?”

Y/N grinned and shook her head. “Nah, I'm not really going to post it. I wouldn't take advantage of your celebrity status just to gain a few Instagram followers.”

“Well how about just for us then?” Tom leaned closer to Y/N-- or at least as close as his seatbelt would allow him-- and pulled out his phone once again.

Y/N leaned in as well and smiled as Tom snapped a selfie of them together.

He texted it to Y/N and she saved it to her phone.

“All right, folks, we're here,” came James’ voice.

Y/N looked out the window. Sure enough, they had arrived at the set.

James stopped the car, got out, and opened the door for them, Tom sliding out first and Y/N following suit.

“Ok, so I just got the detailed schedule for today and it looks like it’s going to be pretty tight.  You’ve got just enough time for hair, makeup, and wardrobe if you go right now. Filming is scheduled to run from 8:30 till noon when everyone will break for lunch for an hour, then it's back to filming until 5 pm.” Y/N looked at Tom. “Do you need anything right now? Coffee? Tea? Food?”

“Actually I'd love a croissant from the craft table if you wouldn't mind fetching me one,” Tom replied somewhat sheepishly. “ I could smell them when we walked in.”

Y/N nodded. “I'll go grab one and meet you in hair & makeup.”

“Thanks so much, Y/N.”

Y/N walked over to the craft table and grabbed a croissant for Tom as well as a muffin for herself and headed back to the hair and makeup room.

“Oh, darling, you’re a lifesaver,” Tom said, taking a bite of the still-warm croissant.

Y/N laughed. “It was no problem. Do you need anything else?”

Tom shook his head. “No, nothing else at the moment, thanks.”

“Um, ok then… I guess I’ll see you on set? I feel kinda weird just hovering while you’re trying to get ready.”

“Nah, it’s fine,” Tom replied. “I’m almost done here anyway.”

His stylist dusted some sort of translucent powder on Tom’s face then finished taming his wild curls into Peter’s signature hairstyle. “Ok, you’re all set,” she said.

Tom hopped up. “Shall we?” he asked Y/N.

They made their way to wardrobe, where the wardrobe supervisor took a look at Tom, handed him a t-shirt to change into, then declared him ready for filming.

Tom unbuttoned his own shirt and took it off before carefully pulling the t-shirt over his head.  “Ok, all set,” he said.

They then headed to set, stopping every so often for Tom to say hello to someone, including Jacob Batalon, who played Ned.

They finally made it to the set proper, where  the director, Jon Watts, was wrapping up a conversation with a lighting tech. “Ok, fantastic. Thanks Josh.” He turned to Tom and Y/N. “Tom, my man! How's it going?”

Tom gave him a fist-bump/bro hug combination. “Jon, great to see you.” He gestured towards Y/N. “This is Y/N. She's my P.A. for the rest of the shoot.”

Jon shook her hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” Y/N replied.

Jon clapped his hands together. “Ok, let's get this show on the road! Places people!”

Y/N silenced her cell phone as everyone scrambled to get into their places and Jon called for quiet.

“And… action!”

Y/N watched in fascination as Tom seamlessly transitioned into Peter Parker. She had literally only known Tom a couple of days, but she could see how much of himself he put into the character.

They repeated the scene a few times from different angles, Tom and Jacob clowning around between takes.

Finally Jon called “cut” and broke for lunch.  

Tom walked over to Y/N. “What did you think?”

“That was fantastic,” Y/N replied.  “I can tell you really put thought into your portrayal of Peter.” She held out two bottles of water.  “Oh, here. I thought you might be thirsty, but I didn't know if chilled or room temperature water was best.”

“Wow, thank you so much.” Tom reached for the room temperature bottle of water and took a swig. “Shall we get some lunch?”

“Oh, I figured you would want me to go pick you up something,” Y/N replied questioningly.

“We’ve only an hour, so there’s not a whole lot of time to actually go out. Lunch is usually catered in,” Tom explained.

“Well in that case, sure. Lead the way.”

Y/N and Tom hung out with Jacob and some of the crew during lunch, Tom introducing Y/N to everyone.  Most of the crew had been together during the entire film shoot, some having also previously worked on _Spider-man: Homecoming_.

After lunch, a few more scenes were shot, and finally the set wrapped for the day.

Y/N waited near the entrance to the set and checked her email while Tom changed back into his button-down.

“Ready to go?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’m ready,” Y/N replied. “James is waiting out front.”

They made their way to where James was picking them up and had a comfortably quiet ride back to the hotel. They thanked James and headed through the hotel lobby to the elevators.

After they stepped onto the elevator and hit the button for their floor Tom asked, “so what are you planning on doing this evening?”

“Oh, probably just catching up on some reading,” Y/N replied. “You?”

Tom rubbed the back of his neck. “Actually, I was thinking about dinner?”

“Oh, yeah, ok. I can go back out to get you something once we get back to the hotel if you want to go back to your room and relax--”

Tom shook his head. “Actually I was thinking about the two of us having dinner, together. Even though last night was technically a meeting I really enjoyed your company. I eat alone so often that it’s nice to have some someone to chat with, y’know?”

Y/N felt bad for Tom. She couldn’t imagine having your every move scrutinized just because of who you were and not really being able to go out and enjoy life for fear of being mobbed. She thought a second. “Um, sure. Ok.”

“How does Italian sound? I know this fantastic restaurant not far from here. And don’t worry, it’s nothing overly fancy.”

“Italian sounds great.”

The elevator doors opened and Y/N and Tom stepped out into the hall, Tom turning towards Y/N with a grin. “I’ll come ‘round at say, 7?”

“Ok, 7 it is.”

“Fantastic. See you soon then.”

“See ya.”

Y/N watched Tom walk towards his room before heading to hers. As soon as she was in she pinched herself. _Yep, this is real_ . She was actually going to dinner with Tom Holland! As friends, of course, but still… She sent Laura a quick text: _Going out to dinner with Tom. More later!_ She plugged her phone in to charge before gathering the things she needed in order to shower and get ready.


	3. Chapter 3

Y/N had just finished her makeup when there was a knock at her door. “One second!” she called out, grabbing her purse and quickly sliding her feet into her shoes.

She opened the door and her heart did a flip. 

Tom was wearing acid-washed jeans, a plain white T-shirt with a sports jacket over it, and sneakers.  Y/N was glad she had kept it fairly casual as well, pairing a flowy top with one of the dressier pairs of pants she had brought with her, along with a pair of low-heeled shoes.

“Hey, Y/N,” Tom said. “Ready?”

“Yep, let me just grab my phone,” Y/N replied. She unplugged it and tucked it into her pants pocket. “Ready.”  She closed her door and they headed down the hall.

Tom pressed the button for the elevator. “So I thought we could just Uber to the restaurant if that was okay.”

Y/N nodded.  “That’s fine with me.”

Tom pulled out his phone and pulled up the Uber app as they exited the elevator and walked through the lobby. “Ok, the driver should be here in a few minutes.”

“Great,” Y/N replied.

“So, what did you think of your first day on a film set?”

“Oh, it was so cool! I didn’t know you were British when I first saw you in  _ Civil War _ . Your American accent is so realistic.”

Tom laughed.  “Thanks. I practice it a lot.”

“It’s crazy just how much work goes into making a movie. I can't wait to see it in theaters when it's done. And  _ Endgame _ too of course.” Y/N winked. “Gotta know how Spidey comes back from the dead.”

“So you're a fan?” 

Y/N laughed. “Well I've seen every single MCU film in theaters starting with  _ Iron Man _ , so I guess you can say that.”

“Who's your favorite Avenger?”

Y/N was about to reply when their Uber pulled up.

Tom opened the door for Y/N before heading around to the other side.

“Good evening,” he greeted their driver as he climbed in.

“How're you folks doing tonight?” their driver asked as he eased into traffic.

“Doing well,” Y/N answered. “And yourself?”

“Just fine, just fine. We are headed to… Pappardella, right?”

“Right,” Tom said.

“Date night?”

“Oh, no, we’re just friends,” Y/N said quickly.

“Hanging out,” Tom chimed in.

“I see, I see. First time in New York?”

“It’s my first time here,” Y/N said.

“I’ve been here once or twice,” Tom added, shooting Y/N a grin.

“Well I hope you’re enjoying our fair city. Just sit tight and I’ll have you to your destination shortly.”

The ride was a smooth one and soon they pulled up in front of the restaurant.

They thanked their driver as they got out, Tom leaving a generous tip on the Uber app before heading into Pappardella.

They stepped up to the host stand.

“Table for two?” the host asked.

“Actually we have a reservation,” Tom replied.

“Last Name?”

“Holland.”

The host ran his finger down the reservation list. “Ahh, yes sir.” He made a note next to the entry. “Right this way please.”

Y/N looked at Tom as they followed the host to their table.  “When did you make a reservation?”

Tom shrugged. “After I got back to my room. They’re usually not too busy on Mondays but I wanted to make sure.”

They were seated and their server came to greet them.  “Hi, I’m Lindsey, and I’ll be your server tonight. May I start you off with something to drink?”

“Ah, yes, can I get a…” Y/N eyed the drink menu. “Glass of pinot grigio?”

“Certainly. And for you, sir?”

“I’ll take a glass of pinot noir,” Tom replied.

“Ok, I’ll give you a few minutes to look over the menu and I’ll be right back.”

Y/N looked at the menu. “Any suggestions? I’m kind of torn between the gnocchi and the penne.”

“I’ve had the penne,” Tom replied. “It’s very good.”

“I think I’ll have that then.”

Lindsey came back with their wine and took their orders. After she left, Tom took a sip of his wine. “You never did tell me who your favorite Avenger was.”

Y/N quirked an eyebrow. “Fishing for a compliment?” she joked.

Tom shrugged casually, a smirk on his face. “Just curious, is all.”

“Mmm hmm. Well, if you really want to know...” Y/N leaned in closer. “It’s Bucky, of course.”

Tom groaned. “I guess I walked right into that one. Which, by the way, I’m never telling Seb because he’ll never let me live it down.”

Y/N laughed and took a casual sip of her wine. “It’s only because as of right now as far as I know Spider-Man isn’t  _ officially _ officially an Avenger, even though Tony said he was in  _ Infinity War _ .”

“So, you’re a ‘Spider-Fan’, huh?”

Y/N snorted. “Is that what they’re called?”

Tom shrugged. “I don’t know. I just made that up.”

Y/N shook her head. “You are something else.”

The conversation flowed all throughout dinner, Y/N and Tom exchanging stories about their childhoods, Tom showing off pictures of Tessa, and Y/N regaling Tom with stories of her college experience.

“You know, I never knew you were a dancer until I saw your episode of  _ Lip Sync Battle _ ,” Y/N said with a grin.

“Oh God, I’m never going to live that down,” Tom laughed.

“No, I loved it! Zendaya was amazing, but I knew she was a singer & dancer already. You absolutely KILLED your ‘Umbrella’ performance and totally deserved that win.”

“Thanks.”

Lindsey walked up at that moment. “And how are we taking care of the check?”

“Separate--” Y/N stated at the same time Tom said, “Together.”

“What? No. You already bought me dinner last night,” Y/N protested.

Tom shrugged. “And I asked you to accompany me again tonight, therefore I’m paying.”

Y/N eyed him. When he didn’t break eye contact, she sighed. “Fine. But I’M paying for the Uber back.”

Tom grinned. “Deal.”

As promised, Y/N ordered the Uber for the ride back to the hotel. She yawned as they rode the elevator up to their floor. 

“Sorry,” she apologized. “I’m still not used to the time difference.”

“Quite alright,” Tom reassured her. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning, yeah?”

“Yeah. I think your call time is the same every day this week, so I’ll be around at 7:15 again tomorrow?”

“Sure,” Tom agreed, then added, “and I promise to be fully dressed tomorrow.”

Y/N blushed at the memory of Tom in only a towel. “It’s ok,” she shrugged. If anything, she had some new fantasy material after this was all over, so she really couldn’t complain.

Tom walked Y/N to her door.

“I had a nice time tonight,” Y/N said.

“Me too. It’s nice to have the company,” Tom replied.

If this had been a date, this would’ve been the time where Y/N would have expected a goodnight kiss. But since it wasn’t, Y/N gave an awkward wave. “Well, goodnight Tom. See you in the morning.”

“‘Night, Y/N.”

Y/N closed the door behind her and leaned back against it.  _ Man, am I in trouble _ , she thought.  Not only was Tom gorgeous-- and even more so in person-- he was also such a gentleman, and sweet, and funny, and genuine.  Y/N’s mild celebrity crush on him was starting to spark into an even bigger crush.  _ Keep it professional, _ she reminded herself. 

If she fell asleep and dreamed about brown eyes and an adorable British accent, that wasn’t her fault, was it?


	4. Chapter 4

The rest of the week continued much like the first day: Y/N would show up at Tom’s hotel room at 7:15 with coffee (fortunately-- or  _ un _ fortunately, Y/N honestly wasn’t sure which-- the rest of the week Tom had always been dressed by the time Y/N knocked on his door), they would ride to set, Tom would film a few scenes, they would eat lunch, Tom would get back to filming, and then they would head back to their hotel, eating dinner together in one of their rooms (usually something Y/N would run out and pick up or have delivered to her room) and hanging out for a while before parting for the night.

Saturday night had Y/N and Tom hanging out in Y/N’s hotel room eating Chinese takeout while watching  _ Infinity War _ on the hotel TV’s cable.

“DAMN IT, QUILL!” Y/N yelled at the TV as he started beating Thanos in the head with his gun, causing Mantis to lose her balance and let go of her control of Thanos’ mind. “Ugh, every freaking time.”

Tom laughed. “Yeah, that’s basically everyone’s reaction.”

Y/N blushed. “Sorry about that. I just always want to punch Quill in the face right there. They had Thanos, and he comes traipsing along and ruins their chances of getting the Gauntlet off. I mean, I get that he was upset about Gamora, and rightly so, but dang, he just single handedly caused the destruction of half the universe!”

Y/N’s and Tom’s phones chimed simultaneously.

“Looks like the shooting schedule for next week is here,” Y/N said, pulling it up on her phone. “Your call times are different for each day, and it also looks like Friday will be a long one, but hey, you at least have Saturday and Sunday off before the final week of shooting.”

They worked out times to meet up to head to the set the next week and when Y/N turned her attention back to the TV Thanos had snapped his fingers and people were already starting to turn to ash. Y/N brought her hand to her chest as Peter clung to Tony.  _ I don’t want to go _ . “I can’t believe you improvised that scene, but I should’ve figured that you’d quote The Doctor.”

Tom glanced over at her. “You watch  _ Doctor Who _ ?”

Y/N nodded. “Just New Who, starting with Eccleston, but yeah.”

“Who’s your favorite Doctor?”

“Ten, hands down,” Y/N said with zero hesitation.

“No wonder you recognized that line.”

YN nodded. “It just kills me every time, whether it’s you or David Tennant that says it.”

They talked about  _ Doctor Who _ until it started to get late. “So, what are you planning to do with your day of freedom?” Tom asked as they cleaned up from dinner.

“Oh, I’m just planning on taking it easy tomorrow,” Y/N replied. “What about you?”

“I need to study my lines for next week.”

Y/N bit her lip. “Maybe I could help you run your lines? I mean, if you want, no big deal.”

Tom grinned. “I’d like that a lot, actually.”

“Great. I’ll text you when I get up?”

“Sounds good.”

“Ok, well, I’m gonna head out. It’s getting pretty late.”

Tom walked Y/N over to the door. “‘Night, Y/N.”

“‘Night, Tom.”

* * *

 

The next morning Y/N texted Tom as soon as she woke up and got dressed.

_ Hey, I’m up and can help you go over your lines whenever you’re ready. _

Tom texted back almost immediately.  _ Give me like 5 minutes, yeah? _

_ Ok, sure. I’ll run downstairs to pick you up something from the coffee shop then. _

The three bubbles that indicated that Tom was typing popped up.  _ Actually I’m downstairs right now getting something, so no need! _

_ Oh! Lol Ok then. _

A few minutes later Tom texted back.  _ Ok, I’m back upstairs. Come on over. _

Y/N grabbed her stuff and walked down to Tom’s room.

Tom answered the door with a grin. “Morning, Y/N,” he said, ushering her in.  Y/N paused mid-way into the room when she saw coffee and pastries set out for both of them.

“I figured since you’ve been fetching breakfast for me and since I was getting myself something anyway all week the least I could do is return the favor,” Tom said.

“Aww, that’s so sweet,” Y/N replied. “Thank you.”

They sat and ate then Y/N helped Tom run his lines until he was comfortable with them.  “Wow, it’s four already. I’m sure you want to relax the rest of the afternoon,” Y/N said, getting up from the couch where they had been sitting, “so I guess I’m gonna get out of your hair so you can chill.”  She turned toward the door. “Wait!” Tom exclaimed.

Y/N turned back to Tom.

Tom rubbed the back of his neck. “I, err, I have a surprise for you.”

He walked over to his dresser and pulled an envelope out of the top drawer, handing it to Y/N.

Y/N looked at him curiously as she opened it, finally pulling out the contents. Her jaw dropped. “Front row seats to _ Rent!?” _

“You can’t come to New York and not see a Broadway play. I was hoping you’d accompany me tonight,” Tom said.

Y/N was still staring at the tickets. “But how did you know I even liked  _ Rent _ ?”

“I, err… I overheard you singing ‘ _Out Tonight_ ’ on Wednesday while you were waiting for me after the set was cleared,” Tom explained.

Y/N was still shocked. “But how did you even get these? It’s been sold out for months!”

Tom winked. “You’re not the only  _ Rent _ -head around here, you know.”

“And are you sure you want  _ me _ to come with you? You wouldn’t rather Z or someone else from the cast go with you?”

Tom shook his head. “I figured you’d appreciate the show as much as I do. So is that a yes?”

“Oh my gosh, YES!”  Y/N threw her arms around Tom in a massive hug. “This is so amazing! I’ve been wanting to see that play for years but never thought I’d have the chance to see it live!”

“Brilliant.” Tom beamed. “I’ll be ‘round in, say, a hour so we can have dinner beforehand? I know a great sushi restaurant in Times Square.”

“Sounds great.” Y/N turned to Tom again and gave him another hug. “You are just the absolute best, you know that? I can’t believe this -- I have to go get ready!”

Y/N ran back to her room and flew through getting ready.  She put on the nicest outfit she had brought (thank goodness she was a packrat and thought to bring a decent dress!) and hurried to do her hair and makeup.

She was applying her eyeliner in the bathroom mirror when there was a knock on her door. “Come in!” she called.  She and Tom had each gotten an extra room key and had swapped them in case of emergency, so she didn’t have to go answer the door.

Tom stuck his head in the door. “Y/N?”

“Almost ready!”

Y/N finished her makeup and stepped out of the bathroom. Tom was standing in front of Y/N’s full-length mirror and caught her reflection. A broad grin spread over his face and he turned toward her. “Y/N, you look  _ stunning _ ,” he breathed.

Y/N blushed. “Thank you. You look great too.”

Tom had worn a similar outfit to the one he had worn the night they went to dinner after the first day of filming, except this time he had paired an open-collar button-down shirt with his sports coat, jeans, and sneaker combo. He extended his arm. “Shall we?”

Y/N linked her arm with his. “Lead the way, Mr. Holland.”

* * *

 

“Viva, la vie, Bohemme!”

Y/N and Tom laughed as they stepped off the elevator.

“Oh my gosh, that was so much fun. Never in a million years did I ever think I’d be able to see  _ Rent _ live and in person.” Y/N couldn’t keep the grin off of her face.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

They stopped in front of Tom’s door.  “You want to come in and watch the film version on Netflix?” he asked.

“Sure! I love the movie version. Gimmie like 5 minutes though to go change into something more comfortable?”

Tom nodded. “Ok. I’ve got snacks, so I’ll get everything set up while you change.”

“See you in a few.”

Y/N ran to her room and changed into some comfortable pants and a t-shirt, and pulled on a pair of fuzzy socks to walk down the hall in instead of putting her sneakers on.

She grabbed her keycard and headed back to Tom’s. The door had been held open by the privacy lock, so she just knocked gently and went in, disengaging the lock so the door could shut.

Tom was sitting on his bed, scrolling through Netflix. A bowl of popcorn and various movie theater-type candy was spread out next to him. His hair was wet-- he had obviously grabbed a quick shower while Y/N had been gone-- and he had changed into flannel pajamas pants and a plain white t-shirt. He looked up and grinned.

Y/N walked past him to the other side of the bed and climbed in, careful not to disturb the snacks in between them. “I see you got comfortable as well.”

Tom grinned. “Ready?”

“Let’s do it.”

As the opening credits rolled, Y/N said, “I think it's so great that most of the original Broadway cast reprised their roles for the movie.”

“Me too,” Tom agreed, grabbing a handful of popcorn.  

They watched the movie mostly in silence, occasionally grabbing some popcorn or a handful of candy, until the opening notes to  _ Light My Candle _ came on. Tom turned to Y/N.  _ What you’d forget?  _ he mouthed.

Y/N grinned.  _ Got a light?  _ she responded.

Tom reached for her. _ I know you, you’re… you’re shivering. _

_ It’s nothing, they turned off my heat, and I’m just a little weak on my feet… _ Y/N pretended to swoon towards Tom and winked.

They kept going, both really getting into character. When they arrived at the line,  _ They say I have the best ass below 14th Street, is it true? You’re staring again!  _ Tom blushed and was flustered when he lip-synched Roger’s line,  _ Oh no… I mean, you do… have a nice-- _ Y/N thought his flustered reaction seemed actually kind of genuine but quickly chalked it up to the darkness of the room and Tom’s really good acting skills and pushed it out of her mind as she kept going.

They continued their back & forth throughout the song.  _ They call me, they call me Mimi... _ Y/N lip-synched, dangling a gummy worm in front of Tom before taking a bite with a grin as the song ended.

They both burst into laughter. “Oh my gosh, that was so fun,” Tom said in between fits of laughter, leaning back against the headboard.

Y/N fell over on Tom’s shoulder, she was laughing so hard. “That. Was. AWESOME.” She wiped a few stray tears of laughter away as she straightened.

_ Today 4 U  _ was just starting. Y/N nodded toward the TV. “Think you’d be able to do that?”

“Definitely not in heels, at least not without loads of practice.” Tom answered. “I’m good, but I’m not  _ that _ good.”

The rest of the movie was spent lip-synching along to a majority of the soundtrack -- during ' _Out Tonight'_  Y/N grabbed the remote and used it as a makeshift microphone while she danced around the room, much to Tom’s amusement -- and watching in somber silence during ' _Without You'_.

Y/N did a fist pump when the opening notes of ' _What You Own' started_  playing. “This is one of my favorite songs on the entire soundtrack,” she said. “It’s so powerful, and the bro-hug at the end just melts my heart.”

Tom nodded. “It’s definitely a turning point in the film.”

As the movie wound down, the popcorn and snacks dwindled as well. Tom placed the empty popcorn bowl on the nightstand next to him as the finale started.

“My one complaint is that I really wish the alternate ending would’ve been used in the film.”

“Me too!” Y/N exclaimed. “I mean I get  _ why _ it wasn’t used, but I like the play’s version of the ending where it ends just like it begins. And speaking of… I’m so embarrassed I cried when Angel came running on stage during the finale.”

Tom chuckled. “I think it’s cute-- err, I mean nice. It’s  _ nice _ that you’re reactive like that. Makes an actor feel like they’re giving a believable performance.”  

“Speaking of acting…” Y/N checked her phone for the time. “It’s getting late. You better get some rest since your call time for tomorrow is early and you’re doing a lot of stunts.”

They stood and Tom walked Y/N to the door.

Y/N gave Tom a hug, and without thinking, also gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Oh, shit, I'm so sorry about that--” she stammered, taking a step back.

“What?” Tom looked confused.

“Just now-- I really didn’t mean to kiss you. I wasn’t thinking, and I understand if you’d be upset about it--”

Tom shook his head. “Why on earth would I be upset with you?” he tried to interrupt.

“--and it was completely unprofessional, so I’d also get it if you’d want to request a different assistant--”

“Wait, wait, Y/N!” Tom cried. He took Y/N's arms in a firm but gentle grip, steadying her. “I'm sorry to keep interrupting you, but I’m not upset at all.” He let go & studied her. “Have I given you the impression at any point this week that I've been anything less than pleased with you?”

Y/N blushed. “Well, no, not really…” she mumbled. “But I thought maybe you’d think I was hitting on you or something…”

“First off, it was just a kiss on the cheek, it’s not like you threw yourself at me.  And secondly…” Tom paused. “I know we haven’t known each other long, but I kind of already consider you a friend. You’re incredibly easy to talk to, we have a ton in common, and at the risk of sounding completely pompous you don’t seem to just be friendly to me because of my celebrity status or because Sony is paying you to be. I mean come on, you’ve insisted on rotating who was paying for dinner all week. You’re a genuinely nice person and I like being around you. There’s absolutely no reason to fret, okay?”

Y/N nodded. “Ok.”

Tom stood. “Now that’s settled then, yeah?”

Y/N nodded. “Yeah.”

Tom reached out and gave her hand a gentle squeeze, then pulled her in for a hug. “Goodnight, Y/N.” He kissed her on the cheek, then gave her a wink.

Y/N laughed. “Goodnight, Tom. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Y/N went in and got ready for bed. As she lay there in the darkness replaying the night in her head she suddenly realized that her feelings for Tom definitely weren’t going anywhere-- in fact they had blossomed into a full-scale crush.  _ I am so screwed. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I know Rent closed in 2008 but for the purpose of this fic it's been brought back for a special performance.


	5. Chapter 5

After a fitful night’s sleep, Y/N got up earlier than usual and sent Laura a text.  _ Hey, message me when you get a chance. Need some advice. _

She showered and got dressed, and had just exited her room in order to head downstairs to get some breakfast and grab coffee for her & Tom when she heard her name being called. “Y/N!”

She looked up to see Tom walking towards her, coffee and pastry bag in hand. “Hey Tom, you’re up early, and you got breakfast?”

“Yeah, I thought we’d change it up a bit and have breakfast before heading to set instead of coffee now and breakfast later.”

Y/N shrugged. “Sure. We’ve got plenty of time. Come on in.” 

Tom set the coffee and pastries down and grinned wryly. “I need to eat early so I don’t puke while I’m doing my bigger stunts. Didn’t think about letting you know last night.”

Y/N laughed. “Yeah, that’s understandable.” She took a sip of her coffee. “Sounds like it’s gonna be an awesome day on set. I saw the behind-the-scenes extras on the  _ Homecoming _ blu-ray and all the stunt work looks really fun, although it also seems like a ton of hard work jumping and running around in the Spider-suit.”

Tom nodded. “It’s quite uncomfortable in the suit after a while and the stunts do require quite a bit of work, but honestly I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

Y/N opened her mouth to say something, but changed her mind and closed it.  _ No need to fangirl, Y/N. Chill. _

Tom cocked his head. “What?”

“Nothing, don’t worry about it.”

“No, really, what?”

Y/N smirked. “I was gonna say that your portrayal of Peter Parker and Spider-Man is my favorite of all of the cinematic portrayals… but I wouldn't want to inflate your ego too much, so I won't.” She winked.  _ Good save, Y/N _ .

Tom laughed. “See, this is why I like you.”

“No but really though, thanks for all of your hard work bringing Peter and Spider-Man to life. I’m sure your fans-- and all of the fans of the MCU-- appreciate it. I know I certainly do.”

“Wow, thank you. I've always wanted to play Spider-Man, so this has really been a dream come true for me.”

Tom finished his breakfast and checked the time. “Ready to get going? It's still a bit early but I want to run through the stunts with George one more time before we film today.” 

“Sure.” Y/N threw away her bag and grabbed her stuff. “Let’s go.”

* * *

“And cut! Great job, Tom. That’s a wrap for today.”

Y/N grinned as Tom came jogging up to her. “So, what did you think?” he asked.

“Oh my gosh, that was so cool!” Y/N handed him a bottle of water.

“I’m so ready for a shower.” Tom ran his hands through his sweaty hair. “I’m exhausted.”

“How about you head on back to the hotel and I’ll get an Uber and pick up some dinner, meet you back there? Chinese sound good?”

“Oh, that sounds brilliant. Thanks, darling.”

“Ok, I’ll see you in a bit.”

Y/N picked up their order and headed back to the hotel, then headed up to Tom’s room and knocked. “Hey, it’s me.”

“Come on in!” Tom replied through the door.

Y/N let herself in. Tom was sitting on his bed wearing a pair of pajama pants, rubbing his wet hair with a towel. “Hey, Y/N.”

_ Hoooooooly shit _ . Y/N was starting to get used to seeing Tom without a shirt, but shirtless  _ and  _ with wet hair?  _ Mmph _ . She swallowed and placed the bag of food down on the bed. “Ready to eat?”

“Starving.” 

Y/N held up the other bag she was holding. “I also got a bottle of wine from the bodega next door to the restaurant.”

Tom grinned. “Perfect.”

Tom set up the food while Y/N grabbed a couple of glasses from the desk. “Oh here, I got a travel corkscrew too.” She took it out of her pocket and tossed it to Tom, who caught it with one hand.

Y/N grinned. “Nice. Looks like some of those spider-reflexes are sticking.” She walked over to the bed and sat next to Tom, kicking her shoes off before she got comfortable.

Y/N dished out their food as Tom poured their wine.  “So what’s on the filming schedule for tomorrow? More stunts? Do I need to get your breakfast earlier?”

“Yeah but nothing too rigorous, so we can stick to our regular schedule. It’s a bit more just running and jumping around in the suit.”

“Ok, cool.”

As they ate they watched the previous night’s  _ Doctor Who _ episode then decided to watch a film since it was still relatively early. Tom pulled the comforter over them as the opening credits rolled. In alcohol-induced bravery Y/N scooted closer to Tom.

Tom glanced over at her.

“Cold,” she explained. 

Tom put his arm around her and scooted even closer to her so their shoulders were touching. “Better?”

Y/N nodded. 

As they watched the movie she became pleasantly warm & drowsy from the combination of food, alcohol and Tom’s body heat.  _ This is nice, _ she thought as she hunkered under the covers a bit more. 


	6. Chapter 6

_Mmm_ , _such a warm, muscular pillow_ . Y/N cuddled in further before realizing that pillows weren’t supposed to be muscular. _Shit!_ Her eyes popped open.

 _Oh my God._  She and Tom had both fallen asleep while watching the movie the previous night, and she had been cuddling him while they slept.   _This definitely goes beyond the realm of friendship_.

Her arm that wasn’t currently wrapped around Tom’s middle was trapped under the pillow Tom was laying on, so she couldn’t move without waking him up. Y/N slowly removed her free arm from Tom’s waist and was trying to figure out the best way to free her other arm so she could sneak out of his room when she heard Tom’s voice say sleepily, “I can feel you overthinking from here, Y/N. Relax.”

She froze as Tom turned towards her. “Um, hi?”

“Hi,” he said with a sleepy smile. “Good morning.”

Y/N's heart fluttered and she blushed. “Morning.”

Tom sat up, the comforter bunching around his waist. “What time is it?”

As if in answer, Y/N's alarm started going off. “6:30,” she answered, reaching for her phone.

Tom stretched, letting out a huge yawn.

He and Y/N locked eyes and the full hilarity of the situation suddenly struck, causing them to both burst into laughter.

“Wow, I slept great. Who'd have thought I would just need a bit of a cuddle?” Tom howled.

“I- I never thought that I'd ever wind up having to do the walk of shame, much less quite like this!” Y/N gasped in between hysterics, setting them both off again.

Once they finally calmed down, Y/N slid out of the bed and put her shoes back on. “I better get back to my room so I can shower and go get our coffee. I’ll see you in a little while?”

Tom smirked. “Actually, since we *did* sleep together I can at least do the gentlemanly thing and join you for breakfast this morning.”

Y/N laughed. “Ok. Give me 30 minutes to shower and change and I'll meet you downstairs?”

Tom nodded, running his hands through his adorably disheveled bedhead. “Ok, see you soon then.”

Y/N flew through her shower and threw on some clothes, forgoing makeup except for a swipe of tinted lip balm, then headed downstairs to the restaurant.

Tom was seated at what Y/N was starting to come to know as ‘their’ table, a steaming mug of coffee in front of him.  He was talking on his phone, but looked up with a smile and a slight wave when Y/N joined him at the table. “Hey, I have to run, but let me know your flight details when you figure them out. I'll see you soon, ok? Yeah, later, mate.” He hung up with a grin. “My best friend Harrison is coming into town on Thursday to hang out for the weekend.”

“Oh that's great, has it been a while since you've seen him?”

“Yeah, a little while. He's been busy with other projects, which is why I needed a P.A.” He took a sip of his coffee. “I went ahead and ordered your usual, if that's okay with you.”

Y/N nodded. “Yeah, that's perfect.”

Their server came with another mug and poured Y/N a cup of coffee. Y/N fixed it to her liking and took a sip, closing her eyes in satisfaction. “Mmmm, so good.” She licked at a stray drop on her lip and noticed Tom staring at her. “What?”

“Huh? Oh, nothing, nothing.” Tom quickly averted his eyes and sipped his own coffee.

“Is everything ok? Is there something on my face?” Y/N grabbed her napkin and dabbed at her mouth.

“Nope, everything’s fine. Good. Great, even.”

Y/N thought about pressing further but she was interrupted by their order being delivered.

After their server left, she said, “Once you find out Harrison's flight information for Thursday, I can make arrangements to have him picked up at the airport.”

Tom shrugged. “I think he was planning on catching a later flight out of London, so I'm sure he’ll just get an Uber to the hotel. Let me double-check with him though.” He sent a quick text. “Okay, that’s done.”

“Ok, awesome.”

“Haz is really cool. You'll like him.”

Y/N smiled. “Well if he’s anything like you, I’m sure I will.”

Tom grinned bashfully and shrugged. “I’m sure he’ll like you too.”

As they were finishing their breakfast and getting ready to go meet James to head to set, Tom’s phone chimed with a text.

“Yeah, it’s like I thought: Haz said thanks for the offer, but he’s taking a late flight out of London and won’t arrive until around 6 PM, so he’s just going to catch a cab or an Uber to the hotel.”

“Okay then.”

Tom put his phone away. “Ready?”

Y/N nodded and took one last sip of her coffee. “Let’s go.”

* * *

 

The next few days flew by and the next thing Y/N knew it was already Thursday.

Tom was obviously excited to see Harrison, and was fidgety the entire ride back to the hotel from set. Y/N had ordered dinner before they left set, so it arrived shortly after they did.

They ate dinner together in Tom’s room, but instead of hanging out afterwards as usual, Y/N got ready to go back to hers as soon as they were done eating.  “So I’m gonna head out…”

Tom looked surprised. “You don’t want to hang out tonight?”

Y/N shook her head. “Nah, Harrison should be here in a bit so I’m gonna let you & him have your guy time. See you in the morning?”

Tom rubbed the back of his neck. “Ok, see ya then.”

Y/N gave Tom a hug. “Night, Tom.”

“Night, Y/N.”

Y/N got back to her room and had just gotten out of the shower when her phone rang.

“Laura, hey!”

“Hey, Y/N, I’m _so_ sorry that it’s taken me so long to reach you, I’ve had an insane shooting schedule for the past few days and am just now getting back to some normal hours.” So, what was it you were needing advice about the other day?”

“Oh, don’t worry about it. It’s all good.” Y/N told Laura about going to _Rent_ with Tom, the kiss on the cheek, and she and Tom falling asleep together after watching _Doctor Who_. “Girl, I was so freaked out at first, but Tom and I just laughed it off and everything’s cool. Oh, and his friend Harrison is coming into town tonight to hang out for the weekend.”

“Well it sounds like you’ve had an amazing week.”

“I really have. I still can’t believe I actually got to see _Rent_ live and in person! Tom surprised me with front-row seats, then we went back to his room and watched the film version.”

“I’m so jealous,” Laura sighed. “You are so lucky.”

“I knooooowww.” Y/N flopped down on her bed. “I have to run now though because Tom has an early call time.  It was supposed to be a late filming day tomorrow but the schedule was rearranged due to rain.”

“Ok, I’ll talk to you again soon, Y/N. Bye!”

“Bye, Laura!”

She hung up her phone and plugged in her charger, then grabbed the book that she had brought with her and settled into bed.  In no time at all she had fallen asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning Y/N knocked on Tom’s door after making her usual coffee run and was looking at her phone when the door swung open. “Hey, you...” She paused as she looked up into ice-blue eyes. “...are most definitely not Tom.” She glanced at the room number again just to make sure that in her non-caffeinated state she hadn’t accidentally knocked on the wrong door.  _ Nope, right room.  _

The guy grinned as he eyed her up and down. He ran a hand through his dark, curly hair. “No, darling, I’m not, but in this case I certainly wouldn’t mind the confusion,” he said in a crisp British accent. 

Y/N blushed. _Ah, this must be Harrison._ _Damn, are ALL British guys total hotties?_ She was starting to regret not googling him when she had the chance, thinking at the time that doing so would've been kinda creepy and stalker-ish. At least she would've known what he looked like.

Tom appeared behind him. “Hey, there you are. Come on in.”

The guy that Y/N presumed was Harrison stepped from the doorway and gestured for Y/N to enter.

Tom put a gentle hand on Y/N’s back as he introduced them. “Haz, this is Y/N, my assistant while I'm filming in New York. Y/N, this is my best friend, Harrison.”

“Ahh, so  _ you're _ Y/N,” Harrison said knowingly. “Nice to finally meet you.”

Y/N glanced at Tom curiously before shaking Harrison’s hand. “Nice to meet you too,” she said, missing the glare that Tom shot Harrison in the process.

She handed Tom his coffee before turning to Harrison. “I didn't know you'd be around this morning, otherwise I could've also got you a coffee.”

Harrison laughed. “Thanks, love, but I can fetch my own coffee. I'm not a diva like this one.” He gestured towards Tom jokingly as he grabbed the to-go cup that was already on the desk.

Y/N laughed as well. “I honestly don't mind getting Tom's coffee in the morning and dinner at night. I'm already getting stuff for myself anyway, so it's nothing just to order extra.”

“ _ And _ she does it all without complaint,” Tom joked. “Careful Haz, you might be permanently replaced as my best friend and assistant.”

Harrison pretended to be hurt. “I’m wounded. After all I’ve done for you and after all our years of friendship, you’re willing to just replace me like that? It’s because she’s prettier than me, isn’t it?”

Tom pretended to think for a second, then shrugged. “Basically, yeah.”

Harrison gently punched Tom in the shoulder. “That’s cold, mate.”

Y/N laughed. “While I’m flattered, I don’t think I could ever really replace you. The bromance is way too strong.” She grinned as her phone chimed with a text. “James is here. Ready to go? Need me to grab anything?”

“Oh, I didn’t tell you yet -- Haz is going to come join us on set today,” Tom said. “I've already got it arranged.”

“Oh, ok, that's cool. You guys ready to go then?”

They all headed towards the elevator and as they were waiting for it to arrive, Y/N turned to Harrison.  “While Tom’s busy filming we can swap all of our horror stories about how much of a nightmare it is to be his P.A.” She playfully nudged Tom.

“Aww, Y/N, not you too,” Tom groaned as the elevator doors opened and they stepped in. “I knew it was a bad idea to get the two of you together.”

Y/N turned and gave Harrison a high-five as the doors closed. 

Harrison nodded approvingly. “I like this one.”

They made their way downstairs and to the waiting car. “Morning Mr. Holland, Miss Y/L/N,” he greeted. 

“Morning, James,” Y/N replied. 

“Sorry we're late,” Tom chimed in. “We've got an extra passenger today. This is my best friend, Harrison Osterfield. He’s in town for the weekend.”

James shook Harrison's hand. “Nice to meet you, sir.”

“Likewise,” Harrison replied. “Shall we?”

Y/N climbed into the car, followed by Tom, then Harrison.  

Y/N mostly kept quiet during the ride, letting Tom and Harrison talk and catch up, until her phone chimed with an email alert.

“Ok, hmm,” Y/N said, looking at the revised schedule she had just been sent. “Because of Wednesday’s and today’s schedules getting swapped due to the rain on Wednesday causing continuity errors and not being able to film outside, it looks like it won’t be as crazy tight of a day as originally planned. So instead of having to run straight to hair & makeup as soon as we arrive on set you guys should have about 45 minutes to relax in your trailer while I get your croissant. But the even better news is that you should be done around 3 pm instead of 9, so you guys will have plenty of time to hang out tonight.”

“Awesome,” Harrison said as they pulled up to the set.

They all climbed out, thanking James and wishing him good day.

“So I’m gonna go grab your breakfast from craft services, Tom, and meet you guys back at your trailer if that’s okay. Harrison, you want anything? Croissant? Bagel? Toast?”

“I’ll take some toast if you don’t mind,” Harrison replied.

Y/N nodded. “Ok, I’ll see you guys in a bit.”

She turned in the opposite direction of the trailers to head to craft services, greeting various cast and crew members as she walked.

She grabbed a pastry box and placed a few croissants and a couple of pieces of toast inside. 

She made her way back to Tom’s trailer and knocked before poking her head inside. “Hey, guys, I have your breakfast.” She entered and set the box down on the table, taking a few mini jars of jam out of her pockets and setting them down as well. “Harrison, I didn’t know if you wanted jam or not with your toast so I went ahead and grabbed a couple of different kinds just in case, along with some butter.” She grabbed a croissant for herself before having a seat next to Tom.

“You, darling, are an absolute peach,” Harrison said, biting into his toast. 

“She is pretty great, isn’t she?” Tom agreed, slinging his arm around Y/N and giving her a quick squeeze.

Y/N shrugged. “Thanks. I try.”

“So, Y/N, tell me about yourself,” Harrison said.

“Oh, um, well…” Y/N gave Harrison the same basic background information that she had given Tom upon their initial meeting. “So, you two met… at school?” she asked.

“Yeah, we met at school and hit it off straightaway, became best friends,” Harrison said. 

“Flatmates, too, for a bit,” Tom added.

They chatted until it was time for Tom to go to hair and makeup. Harrison went with Tom to say hello to everyone while Y/N made her way to set to see if anything needed to be done before Tom began his filming for the day.

After lunch Y/N had been talking with one of the production assistants when Tom and Harrison walked up, joined by Jacob, who was flying out to California for the weekend after they filmed the final scene of the day.

“Hey guys,” Y/N said as Jon called for everyone to get in their places. “Ready to get back to it?”

Y/N and Harrison stood to the side as Tom and Jacob took their marks, Jon calling action on the background extras, then action on Tom and Jacob.

Tom and Jacob ran through the scene several times but Jon wasn't quite happy with it. After the fourth time of Jon calling cut, he told everyone to take five. “Hang on, something’s not right,” he muttered. He thought a moment. “I think we need a few more extras.”  He pointed at Y/N and Harrison, who were talking with Tom and Jacob. “You two. I need you in this scene.” 

Y/N's eyes widened. She pointed to herself. “Us?” 

Jon nodded. “I need you two to walk across the background of this shot towards the cafe’. Act… couple-y.”

As he turned to call for hair and makeup, Y/N turned back towards Tom and Harrison.

“Well, this is an interesting development,” Harrison said cheekily, slinging an arm around Y/N's shoulder. 

“Yeah, I wasn't expecting to suddenly be in the movie, even as an extra with no lines and only a couple of seconds of screentime,” Y/N joked. “If this even makes it into the final cut.”

The stylist came by and dusted the same translucent powder she used on Tom on both Y/N and Harrison's faces and gave Y/N a brighter shade of lipstick before declaring them camera-ready.

“Ok, Y/N, Harrison, you're going to cross behind Tom and Jacob as they're walking down the street,” Jon called out, settling back into his chair. “I'll cue you.”

Everyone got into their places and he called for quiet on the set.

“And… action!”

Tom and Jacob walked down the street, reciting their lines. 

Harrison turned to Y/N. “Ready for your big debut?” he joked.

“As I'll ever be,” Y/N replied nervously.

Harrison squeezed her hand reassuringly. “You'll do fine.”

“And, cue Harrison and Y/N!” came Jon's voice.

Y/N and Harrison walked across the street to the coffee shop, Harrison's arm around Y/N's shoulder as she snuggled into his side, her hand on his and their fingers linked.

“Cut! That's exactly what we need, but let's do it one more time to make sure we've got it.”

They reset and this time when Jon called action, Harrison pulled Y/N closer as they stopped in front of the cafe’ and placed an affectionate kiss to the side of her head.

“Cut!” John checked the footage. “ Perfect. That's a wrap on today, everybody. Have a great weekend and I'll see you all on Monday.”

While Tom went to go change out of his wardrobe Harrison wandered off to go make a phone call, so Y/N decided to run to the coffee shop situated inside the bookstore on the corner of the street that they had been filming on. She signaled to Harrison to get his attention, pointed down the street, and mouthed, “ _ I'll be right back _ ”.

Harrison nodded. “ _ Ok _ ,” he mouthed back.

“ _ Coffee?” _

He nodded again. “ _ Thanks _ .”

Y/N had gotten their coffee orders and was walking back with them when she saw Tom and Harrison talking.

Tom's face lit up as he spotted Y/N. “Y/N, there you are.”

“Hey, sorry. The line was longer than I thought it would be, probably since the cafe’ is closed today.” She handed Tom and Harrison their coffees and threw the carrier into a nearby recyclables container before taking a sip of her own coffee as they walked to meet up with James to head back to the hotel.

“So what’s up, guys?” she asked.

“Haz and I are planning on going out to a club tomorrow night,” Tom said.

“Oh ok, cool, have fun,” Y/N replied. “Which one? I’ll call ahead and reserve a VIP table for you.”

Tom shook his head. “Oh, no, that’s not necessary-- wait, actually, yes, that  _ would _ be brilliant, thank you, but-- What I mean is, would you like to join us?”

Y/N’s eyebrows raised. “Are you sure? Harrison’s only in town for a few days, I wouldn’t want to interfere with boys’ night out or anything.”

“We'd love to have you come,” Harrison assured her. “It’ll be loads of fun.”

Y/N thought about it for a second before nodding. “Okay, then.”   


“Brilliant,” Harrison said. “We’ll come ‘round to yours at what, 6 tomorrow night? That sound good?”

“Yeah, 6 is fine.”

Y/N called the club and left Tom’s name for the VIP list, making a table reservation as well before hanging up. 

“Ok, we’re all set,” she said as James pulled up. They greeted James and loaded into the car.

They talked about dinner plans and agreed upon a sushi restaurant near the club for dinner beforehand.

The car pulled up to the hotel and they all headed towards the elevator, dropping Harrison off on his floor and heading up to the 10th.  

“Are you sure it’s ok that I come with you guys?” Y/N asked Tom once they were alone.

“Yeah, it’s totally fine… unless you don’t want to?” Tom replied uncertainly.

“No, no… I mean I do, I just don't want to be a bother or a third wheel in case you guys want to be each other's wingman or something.”

“It’s not a bother at all,” Tom replied, giving her hand a squeeze as they stepped out of the elevator.  “Honestly, I'd really like you to come out with me and Harrison tomorrow. He and I have all night tonight and all day tomorrow to hang out and I'd really like the two of you to get to know each other.” He grinned. “Besides, you have yet to experience New York nightlife and what better way than with two English blokes from London?”

Y/N smiled. “Okay, if you're totally sure.”

“Ok, then it's settled.” Tom grinned.

“I better go see what I brought that I can wear to the club so I can figure out if I have to go shopping tomorrow,” Y/N said, taking a step back towards her room. “See you later?”

Tom nodded. “See you, Y/N.”


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning, Y/N woke up and checked her email.  Waiting in her inbox was Tom’s schedule for the final week of filming.

She pulled up Tom’s text thread. _Got your schedule for next week. Ik you’re hanging out with Harrison today and we’re going out tonight, so we can just go over it tomorrow or whatever._

Tom texted back almost immediately. **_Sounds great. Maybe we can do it tomorrow evening after Haz leaves? I was also thinking we could all have brunch in the morning so we can give him a proper send-off._ **

_Ok, that’s fine, and brunch also sounds good. LMK the details tonight._

Y/N decided since she wasn’t meeting up with the guys until much later in the day and since she had been in NYC for almost 2 weeks and still hadn’t really gone sightseeing that she needed to get out and do something, so she took a shower and got dressed in some comfortable clothes she could go exploring in, grabbed her wallet, and headed downstairs.

She asked at the concierge desk for tour recommendations that she could do and wound up deciding to book a bus tour that passed by some shops she wanted to go to. She walked down to a little cafe’ for coffee then boarded her bus.

One of the stops was near the Strand Bookstore, so she decided to disembark there and check it out.

She took one step inside and froze. There were books everywhere she could see - books of every shape, size, and genre.   _I’ve died and gone to heaven._

She spent most of the morning exploring the shop, finally choosing a few books to purchase before realizing how late it was and running back to the bus stop to continue her tour.

After eventually making a full loop around New York City, Y/N got off at the stop closest to the hotel and rushed back to shower and change for the evening.

She checked out her outfit in the full-length mirror in her hall. _I guess this is it,_ she thought.

Laura had helped her pick out an outfit via Skype, delighted that Y/N had packed the pink satin camisole top she had bought Y/N for her birthday, and insisting that it was the perfect top to pair with black leggings and a pair of comfortable, low-heeled shoes that Y/N had bought earlier that day.  Y/N had gone with simple accessories, choosing a rose gold bracelet and teardrop necklace, and kept her makeup light lest she sweat it off under the club lights.

A knock came on the door.

She opened the door and Tom’s jaw dropped. “Y/N, you look absolutely stunning,” he breathed.

“Thanks,” Y/N replied shyly. “Ready to go? Where’s Harrison?”

“Oh, err, he said he’d meet us downstairs,” Tom replied.

“Oh, ok, that’s cool.”

Tom offered his arm. “Shall we?”

They exited the elevator in the lobby where Harrison was waiting. “Y/N, you look fabulous,” he said.

“Thanks,” Y/N replied.

“The Uber is a couple of blocks away so we should be getting outside.” Harrison pointed toward the doors. “You two ready to go?”

“Yeah, I’m set. Tom?”

“Ready,” Tom replied.

They made their way outside where their Uber was just pulling up to the curb.

Tom got in first, holding out a hand to help Y/N climb in behind him. Harrison followed behind her.

They greeted their driver and chatted casually on the way to the restaurant.

After dinner, they walked down the street to the club.  Tom gave his name at the door and he, Y/N, and Harrison all showed their IDs to get their armbands for the bar, Y/N handing her belongings to Tom to keep in his pocket.  They walked in to the club full of glowing lights and thumping electronic music, peoples’ bodies swaying to the beat.

A waitress led them to their table above the dance floor and asked them if they wanted a drink.

“We should start with shots,” Harrison declared before ordering 2 tequila shots for each of them.

“Can I also get 2 shots of lime juice?” Y/N added. “I usually add a chaser at first if I’m doing tequila shots,” she explained at Tom and Harrison’s quizzical looks.

Once their drinks were delivered, Y/N picked hers up. “To good friends, good tequila, and good times,” she declared.

“Hear hear,” Tom and Harrison both agreed as they all clinked their glasses together.  Y/N drank her shot of tequila, the liquid burning her throat as it slid down. She immediately chased it with the lime juice, shuddering at the tang. “Ugh, much better mixed together in a margarita,” she joked.

They quickly followed with their second shot before Harrison decided that he was going to go check out the dance floor.  He shot Y/N and Tom a good-natured wink before he left.

Tom leaned in, the intoxicating combination of his cologne and the alcohol already starting to swirl in Y/N’s system making her feel fuzzy. “I’m going to go to the bar,” he said in her ear to be overheard over the music. “Want anything?”

“Sure.” Y/N told Tom which drink she wanted and he disappeared. She sat quietly for a few minutes before pulling out her phone and taking a selfie to send to Laura. _Nightlife in NYC_ , she captioned it.

A couple of seconds later, a gorgeous blonde-haired guy bumped into her seat. “Oh, I’m so sorry,” he said apologetically.

“It’s fine,” Y/N said. “No harm done.” Y/N waited for the guy to keep walking, but he stopped right next to her.

“I’m Matt.”

“Y/N.”

Matt tilted his head to the side. “How about some company? A pretty lady like you must be lonely sitting there all by yourself.”

Y/N shook her head. “No thanks. I’m actually just waiting for someone.”

“Then do you wanna dance?”

“Um, no thanks.”

“How about a drink then?”

Y/N was starting to get uncomfortable. “Um, actually–”

“Here you are, love.”

Y/N looked up to see Tom carrying her drink as well as a beer for himself.

Y/N shot him a grateful look. “Thanks, babe.”

Tom sat next to her and gave her a lingering kiss on her cheek, dangerously close to the corner of her mouth. “So terribly sorry darling, hope I didn’t keep you waiting long,” he said apologetically, putting an arm around her shoulder. He pretended to only just then notice Matt. “Oh, hello. Sorry, didn’t see you standing there.”

Y/N tried to keep her chill. “No big deal, honey. I was just talking to Matt, here.”

“Umm, actually you know, I’ve got to get going,” Matt mumbled. “It was nice to meet you, Y/N.” He rushed off.

“Bye, Matt!” Tom said cheerfully.

“Ugh, what an asshat,” Y/N said, taking a sip of her drink. “Thanks for coming to my rescue.”

Tom shrugged and took a swig of his beer, keeping his arm around Y/N. “You were obviously uncomfortable and that guy clearly wasn’t getting the hint.”

They were finishing their drinks when Harrison came back. “Time for a break. I need another drink.” He pointed to Tom and Y/N. “It’s your turn to get out there.“

Tom offered Y/N his hand. “Dance with me?” he asked.

Y/N nodded and took his hand. “Show me what moves you’ve got, Holland,” she said with a wink.

“Order me another beer when our server comes back?” Tom asked Harrison.

“Sure thing, mate. Y/N?”

“Yeah, actually.” Y/N told Harrison what she wanted to drink as she and Tom stood.

Tom led her to the dance floor, where one song had just ended and another song had begun.

Y/N swayed her hips, letting the beat of the music and the warmth of the alcohol in her system relax her. Tom wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her flush to him.  Y/N hooked one arm around Tom’s neck, closing her eyes and matching Tom’s rhythm to where they were one seamless flow.

They danced for several songs until Tom’s hand slowly traveled up Y/N’s back until he reached the bare skin where her top was cut low. Y/N shivered as Tom slowly ran a finger up her back, opening her eyes and locking gazes with him.

Tom’s gaze held something… primal, something that both excited and terrified Y/N at the same time.  She subconsciously licked her lips, Tom’s gaze flickering down for just a second before raising back to her eyes.  His grip on her waist tightened. “Y/N…” he murmured.

“Yes?” Y/N replied breathlessly. The way Tom said her name in that accent of his made her briefly wonder how many other different ways she could get him to say it and in what other situations. She blushed at the thought.

Tom tilted his head, leaning in slightly, while Y/N followed suit until…

…Someone knocked into them, shattering the moment and breaking the spell.

“You know what?” Y/N said nervously, looking everywhere but at Tom. “I need to hit the ladies’ room, I’ll umm… I’ll be back in a bit.”

Tom nodded. “Okay, I’m going to go back to the table then.”

Y/N nodded as well.  She went to the ladies’ room and splashed some cool water on her face. _Get a grip, Y/N. You’ve both been drinking, and with the lights and the music… Just keep it together._

She walked back to the table, where the guys were each drinking a beer, Y/N’s drink on the table between them.  

Y/N sat down and took a long swig of her drink. “Bit warm in here, isn’t it?” she said. “Luckily we seem to be right under the AC.”

After a while and another drink, Y/N had calmed down enough and was ready to get back out on the dance floor.

She took turns dancing with both Harrison and Tom, but this time she was sure to keep a respectable distance, also switching to water for the rest of the evening lest she get tipsy again and lose her inhibitions.

They called an Uber back to the hotel, where Y/N and Tom dropped Harrison off at his floor, wishing him goodnight.

When Y/N and Tom arrived on their floor, Tom asked, “Would you like me to walk you to your door?”  

Y/N giggled. “That’s so gentlemanly of you, but it’s literally down the hall. I think I can make it.”

“Ok, good night then.”

“Good night.”  Y/N turned and walked towards her room.  She was almost to her door when Tom called out her name. “Y/N!”

She turned to see Tom jogging towards her, holding her belongings that he had been keeping in his pocket.  “You might need these.”

Y/N blushed as Tom joined her in front of her door. “Haha oops, yeah, those might be important.” She bit her lip nervously. “Thanks for inviting me. I had a lot of fun tonight.”

“Me too,” Tom replied with a soft smile.

Y/N’s fingers brushed Tom’s as she reached for her belongings, setting off that same spark that she had felt earlier that evening. She leaned in and placed a soft kiss on Tom’s cheek before turning towards her door.

Suddenly Tom grabbed her hand. “Y/N, wait.”

Y/N glanced back at him in surprise.

Tom dropped Y/N’s hand as his eyes searched hers. What he was looking for, Y/N wasn’t sure. Tom reached up and tucked some loose hair behind Y/N’s ear, his fingers lingering on her face in a gentle caress.

Y/N subconsciously leaned into Tom’s touch, her eyes fluttering closed as warm lips tentatively pressed against her own.

She reached up with her free hand, trailing her fingers up Tom’s arm before wrapping her hand around his bicep and pulling him closer, Tom wrapping his arms around her and pulling her flush to him as he continued to kiss her breathless.

The sound of a door closing down the hall brought them back to Earth, Tom giving Y/N one more chaste kiss before separating.

He grinned. “Goodnight, Y/N.”

Y/N smiled shyly. “Night, Tom.” She swiped her keycard on her door before entering her room, not noticing that Tom hadn’t moved or taken his eyes off of her for a second until she was inside.

She flopped down on her bed and touched her lips with her fingertips, the feel of Tom’s lips still on hers.

_What a night._


	9. Chapter 9

Y/N had just gotten dressed to go meet Tom and Harrison for brunch when her phone chimed with a text alert.  A bright grin bloomed on her face when she unlocked it.

_Tom: Good morning._

_Hi_ , she typed back.

_Tom: I’m heading downstairs. Want me to go ahead and order your coffee when I get to the restaurant?_

_Sure. I’ll be right down._

She did a quick check in the mirror before grabbing her purse and heading out the door and down to the restaurant, where Tom and Harrison were already seated. Y/N’s coffee was waiting for her, already fixed to her liking.

Y/N glanced at Tom as she sat down, who gave her a shy smile as he sipped his own coffee.

They had a pleasant but mostly quiet brunch.  Y/N kept sneaking glance at Tom whenever she thought he & Harrison weren’t looking, remembering the kiss from the night before and blushing into her french toast. _Professional, Y/N_ , she kept reminding herself. _Keep it cool in public._

At one point she looked up and noticed Harrison watching her. He glanced back & forth between her & Tom and raised an eyebrow.

Y/N felt herself blush again. _Shit, he caught me staring at Tom._ She was relieved when Harrison turned to Tom and asked a question about plans they had made for when Tom was back in London.

The rest of brunch passed without incident, and as they stood to leave Y/N gave Harrison a long hug and a quick peck on the cheek. “It was so great getting to meet you.”

“It was great getting to meet you too,” Harrison replied. “Stay in touch, and if you’re ever in London let me know.”

“Sure will. Have a safe flight.” Y/N turned to Tom. “I’ll see you later for our meeting?”

“Yeah, sure,” Tom replied.

“Bye, guys.” Y/N headed back up to her room to get some work done before her meeting with Tom.

She set her reminders for the upcoming week then decided to start reading one of the books she had bought at the Strand the previous day.  She became so absorbed in the story that she was startled when her phone rang.

“Mmmlo?” she answered.

“Y/N,” came Laura’s voice. “Have you seen the _Celebrity News Report_ website today?”

“Of course not,” Y/N replied. “You know I don’t read that gossip rag that calls itself a news site.”

“Well you have to at least see today’s front headline. Here, I’m linking it to you.”

Y/N’s phone chimed with a message and she tapped on the link.

_HAS SPIDER-MAN FOUND HIS SPIDER-LOVE?_

“Oh shit,” Y/N blurted. Above the article was a grainy photo of her & Tom at the nightclub the night before. From the looks of it, it was taken right before their almost-kiss. Luckily, it was dark and of super poor quality like it had been taken with a cell phone from a distance and Y/N’s face was turned away from the camera, so there really was no way to identify who was in the photo.  Y/N quickly scanned the article.

_Spider-Man actor Tom Holland, who is in New York City filming Spider-Man: Far From Home, was spotted getting awfully cozy with a mystery (Y/H/C) at an undisclosed NYC hotspot last night.  Sources say that Holland, 22, has been spotted at several different NYC restaurants over the past few weeks with the same woman. Has he moved on from co-star & rumored flame Zendaya, or is he playing the field? Keep it here at the Celebrity News Report to find out more as the story progresses! _

Y/N groaned. “They didn’t even mention that Harrison was there as well. I danced with him too, you know.”

“I know,” Laura replied. “You didn’t post anything on your Instagram from the club though, did you?”

“No, of course not. I only sent you that selfie.”  Y/N sighed. “I actually haven’t posted anything on Insta since I’ve been in New York.”

“And besides, it’s not like there’s anything going on between you two anyway.”

Y/N was silent.

“Wait, right?” Laura asked. “Y/N… Nothing *is* going on, right?”

“Umm, well…” Y/N hesitated. “Tom and I kissed last night.”

“WHAT?!?”

Y/N quickly moved the phone away from her ear so she wouldn’t go deaf from Laura’s pterodactyl screech.

“I want deets, girl! SPILL!”

“Ok, well, when we first got to the club Harrison insisted that we all do tequila shots to start.”

Laura clicked her tongue. “Y/N, you know what happens when you drink tequila. Remember the Delta Pi party sophomore year? You almost wound up naked with the captain of the collegiate swim team!”

“Ugh, don’t remind me. I chased it with lime juice this time like I’m supposed to, how was I supposed to know it’d still hit me like it did? I’m used to the cheap stuff!”

Laura laughed. “Anyway, go on.”

“So we did a couple of shots, then Tom left to go get me a drink while Harrison went dancing.  Oh, then this creepy dude hit on me and Tom pretended to be my boyfriend when he got back. Then Harrison came back and Tom and I hit the dance floor, which is probably when the picture was taken.  We…err… we *almost* kissed on the dance floor but someone bumped into us, so I said I was hot and needed to go to the restroom. We had a few more drinks in between dancing and it was late when we got back to the hotel.  We all took the elevator up and Harrison got off at his floor and told us good night, and Tom and I had initially parted ways once we got up to our floor, but Tom had my phone and ID and stuff so he walked over to give it to me so I could get into my room and one thing led to another and… he kissed me.” Y/N sighed at the memory.

Laura squealed. “Ooh, girl, you are so lucky!” She paused. “Hey, listen, I’ve got to go, there’s an early call time on set today, but I want to hear more later, k?”

“Ok,” Y/N replied.

“I’ll talk to you later. Bye!”

Y/N hung up and flopped back on her bed. _Shit, what am I going to do?_  She’d have to lay low for the rest of the filming. She couldn’t be seen in public with Tom or else someone might figure out that she was the girl in the picture, suss out her identity and create a media frenzy of speculation. Neither she nor Tom needed to deal with that, Tom being a pretty private person outside of scheduled interviews and what he personally shared on Instagram and Twitter and Y/N beginning a new job in a few weeks. She definitely didn’t want to be the subject of company gossip when she was just starting out.

Her phone dinged with a text.

_Tom: Hey, Haz just left for the airport. Can I come by?_

Y/N replied, _Give me like 15 minutes?_

_Tom: Sure._

Y/N hauled herself out of bed, took what was probably her fastest shower on record, and dressed in flannel lounge pants and an oversized sweatshirt.

Not long after she had dressed, there was a knock on her door. “Y/N? It’s me,” came Tom’s voice.

She opened the door. Tom stepped in, holding 2 coffees.

He held up had holding one of the coffees.  “I was downstairs and thought you might like this.”

“Thanks so much,” Y/N said, taking it.

Tom rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.  “Before we get to next week’s schedule can we talk about something?”

 _Shit, shit, he saw the article,_ Y/N thought. _Of course he did, his agent probably stays on top of any kind of news about Tom._

“I suppose you’ve seen the gossip sites this afternoon...”

Y/N nodded. “I hadn’t, but Laura called me a while ago about that picture floating around the internet of us dancing at the club last night.”

“Well… umm... also speaking of last night -- I mean, after we got back from the club, that is…” Tom looked uncomfortable.

 _Shit, he regrets it,_ Y/N thought. _Give him an out._ She waved him off. “Oh, the kiss? That was no big deal. Don’t worry about it.”

“No big deal?” Tom echoed.

“Psh, yeah. We both had been drinking, and ya know, with oxytocin and sciencey brain chemical stuff combined, things happen. We can just forget about it, chalk it up to a drunken mistake.”

“Right.” Tom fiddled with the sleeve on his coffee cup for a second, then pointed his thumb towards the door. “You know, actually, I just remembered I have something to do now, so I’m gonna go. You can just email me my schedule for next week, yeah? I’ll see you later.”

And with that, he turned, and for the first time in almost two weeks, Tom left without at least giving Y/N a hug goodbye.

As the door clicked shut, a pang hit Y/N in the solar plexus. She wanted to run after Tom and tell him that she didn't mean it, that the alcohol had long since worn off so she had kissed him with a totally clear head, and that it had been the best kiss of her life and that she would remember it forever.

Instead she curled up in her bed and cried herself to sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

Y/N woke up late the next morning feeling miserable _. _ Her last conversation with Tom came rushing back to her like a speeding train.  _ Ugh. Get over it. It’s for the best.  _

She picked up her phone and unlocked it, quickly scrolling through her social media. To her immense relief, it didn’t appear that anyone had figured out that she was the woman in the picture of Tom at the nightclub. She flew through a shower and sent Tom a quick text.  _ Running a few minutes behind. I’ll be there ASAP. _

After a few seconds, her phone chimed with a text.  _ Ok. _

A lump formed in Y/N's throat. Who knew that such a short text could make her feel like she'd been stabbed in the gut?  _ That's the problem, _ she thought.  _ Tom never sends such short texts. _

She groaned and chastised herself. _ Quit acting like a mopey teenager. Just get through this next week. _

She ran downstairs, got her & Tom’s coffee, and ran back upstairs to Tom’s room.  She knocked and Tom answered the door looking like he hadn’t slept a wink. He took his coffee from Y/N with a mumbled ‘thank you’ and a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

The ride to set was quiet, with Tom texting on his phone the entire way there. When they arrived to set, Tom finally spoke. “Could you please bring me another coffee with my croissant?” he asked quietly.

Y/N nodded. “Sure. We made good time getting to set so you don't have to be in hair and makeup yet, so I'll… meet you in your trailer?”

Tom nodded. “Ok.”

Y/N let out a deep breath as Tom walked away. This week was going to be hell.

She got Tom's breakfast and coffee and knocked on his door. 

“Come in,” he replied.

Y/N set Tom's breakfast down and sat across from him.

Tom thanked her and took a sip of his coffee, but mostly picked at his pastry.

Y/N wondered if she had upset Tom somehow but then pushed the thought out of her mind.  _ He must just be having an off day. _

After a while they headed to hair and makeup where Tom's stylist took a look at him and said, “you're making me actually work today.” 

Y/N had been reviewing the day's shooting schedule again so she missed Tom glancing over at her in the mirror when he said, “Yeah, just didn't sleep well last night.”

Once Tom was ready they headed to set and got through filming the morning's scenes. By lunch Tom was almost back to his cheerful self, except that he was more professional and a bit less overly friendly than usual toward Y/N.  

The afternoon filming went as scheduled and soon it was time to head back to the hotel.

Y/N had ordered food to be delivered to the front desk and had paid with her credit card so they just picked it up on their way in and headed straight to Y/N's room.

They ate and made small talk, but it still wasn't quite like the rapport they had built up over the last few weeks. Finally the long stretches of awkward silence started to get to Y/N.

“Hey, are we okay?” she blurted out.

Tom looked up from a bite of lo mein in surprise. He swallowed and asked, “what do you mean?”

Y/N bit her lip. “You've seemed… off… today, and it kind of only seems to be around me. If I've done anything to upset you--” she stopped as a thought hit her. “I didn't tip anyone off to where we'd be Saturday night, if that's what you've been thinking.”

Tom shook his head. “No, I didn't think that. I know you wouldn't invade my privacy like that. More than likely someone just recognized me and posted the picture on Instagram and it got picked up by the gossip blogs.”

“I'm sorry you have to deal with that.” Y/N placed her hand over Tom's, then quickly removed it when she realized what she had done.

Tom gave her a wan smile. “Part of the job, I guess.” He shrugged. “But to answer your question, yes, we're fine. I'm just dealing with some things.”

They finished eating and cleaned up.

“Look, I'm going to turn in early because I'm totally knackered, but I'll see you tomorrow?” Tom said.

Y/N nodded. “Okay, see you tomorrow.”

Tom turned as if to go, then turned back around and gave Y/N a brief hug. “Goodnight, Y/N.”

Y/N smiled as she hugged him back. “'Night, Tom.” 

As Tom left, Y/N thought that maybe the final week of shooting wouldn't be so bad after all.

She checked her phone and upon seeing a missed call from Laura, realized that she had forgotten to take it off of silent after they had left set that afternoon.

She hit the call back button and Laura answered almost immediately. “Hey, Y/N!”

“Hey, Laura, sorry I missed your call. I forgot my phone on silent.”

“That's okay,” Laura said. “Soooo, tell me more about your hookup with Mr. Hottie McBritish.”

Y/N laughed. “First off, it was just a kiss; definitely not a hookup. Secondly, nothing happened. I told him that we could just forget about it, that it was a drunken mistake.”

“What? Why?”

“Because I panicked, okay? He wanted to talk about it and I just knew that he was going to give me the ‘let’s just be friends’ speech, and I panicked and out came the word vomit.”

Laura sighed. “Oh, Y/N. You blew off this incredibly hot guy who's totally into you because you think he’s too good for you and that someone like him could never be interested in someone like you, right?"

_ Damn Laura for knowing me so well. _ “Why would he be interested in someone like me? I’m nobody.”

“How could he NOT be interested in you?” Laura replied. “You’re smart, you’re funny, you’re one of the best people I know, you’re kind-hearted, and you’re amazing at anything you put your mind to.  Besides, I don’t think that most celebrities spend THAT much time with their assistants. From what you’ve told me, you two have pretty much spent every waking moment together for the past two weeks, and even some  _ non _ -waking moments as well. I definitely think he’s interested.”

Y/N groaned. “I really screwed up, didn’t I?”

“Yes. Yes you did.”

“Gee, thanks for being so honest, Laur.”

Laura laughed gently. “That’s what I’m here for, sweetie.”

“But I mean, what were we supposed to do, date for a week? Filming will be over then Tom will be going back to London to live his life while I’ll be going to California to start my job. And I’m his  _ assistant _ . There has to be some sort of ethical violation here.” 

“You know, there are these wonderful inventions called telephones and computers that are used to communicate, Y/N, and these big steel things called airplanes that fly from London to L.A. and back. And please, loads of people hook up with their assistants. Besides like you said yourself, you're only his assistant for another week.”

“I don’t know, Laur. I think it’s best if I just leave well enough alone.”

Laura groaned. “Shoot, I have to go but I just wanna say real quick that I think you’re making a mistake not telling him that you’re interested in giving it a go with him, because you know what they say: drunk words are sober thoughts.”

“I’ll talk to you later, Laur.”

“Bye, Y/N.”

Y/N hung up and shook her head.  _ Tom would be better off with someone from his world. _ She figured just being friends was the best.


	11. Chapter 11

The next morning when Y/N knocked on Tom’s door he answered it looking much more refreshed than he had on Monday, so Y/N chalked it up to Tom simply having been tired or under the weather. They got back to their normal routine of eating dinner and hanging out together afterwards, although Y/N noticed that Tom didn’t sit quite as close to her as he had been.  _ Must still not be feeling well and doesn't want to get me sick. _

The rest of the week flew by and the next thing Y/N knew it was Friday, the last official day of filming. While they were at lunch Y/N received an email about the cast & crew wrap party, which Jon was throwing on Saturday night at the warehouse they were using for the green screen filming.

When she mentioned it to Tom on the way back to the hotel after filming wrapped he nodded. “Yeah, Jon throws a huge party to celebrate the end of filming. It’s his way of getting everyone to let off some steam and to kind of thank everyone for all of their hard work during the shoot. He hires a DJ and basically turns the space into a nightclub.” He paused. “Are you planning on going?”

Y/N shrugged. “Yeah, I mean I guess. My flight doesn’t leave until Sunday afternoon so I don’t have anywhere else to be.”

“Maybe I’ll see you there, get to tell you goodbye before you go?”

“Yeah, maybe.” 

“Good. Yeah. Great.” Tom nodded firmly, as if in decision.

“Great,” Y/N echoed.

“Okay.” Tom pulled out his phone. “Oh wait, I should post something to Insta about wrapping on  _ Far from Home _ . Didn’t you take some photos after we wrapped?”

“Yeah, you want me to send them to you?”

Tom nodded, so Y/N texted a few of the shots she had taken -- a candid of Tom giving Jon a bro-hug, one of Tom & Jacob together, a few of Tim, Jacob, and Zendaya, and several of Tom, Jacob, Zendaya, and Jon all together.

Tom posted a few of the shots to his Instagram.  _ And that’s a wrap on #SpidermanFarFromHome. Thanks to @jnwtts @marvelstudios @sonypictures and all of the cast & crew for such an amazing experience. _

“We should take a selfie to commemorate the last day of filming too,” Tom said.

“Sure,” Y/N agreed.

They leaned close together and Tom snapped their photo as the car pulled up to the hotel. “James, it’s been a pleasure,” Tom said. “Thank you so much.”

“You’ve been terrific,” Y/N added. “Thanks for shuttling us back & forth to set.”

“It’s been my pleasure. You take care,” James replied, shaking both of their hands before rounding the front of the car back to the driver’s seat.

A pang hit Y/N. It was really over. After tomorrow, she’d go back to her normal, boring life.

They walked through the lobby, stepped onto the elevator, and ascended to the 10th floor.

“So, I’ll see you in a bit?” Tom asked as they stepped off of the elevator.

“Yeah, see you in a bit.” Y/N replied. 

Tom turned back towards her as if to tell her something else, then shook his head before disappearing into his room to shower before heading over to her room for dinner.

_ Okay, that was weird,  _ Y/N thought before going into her own room to order sushi for delivery and to take her own shower. 

She dressed in some comfortable clothes and was sorting all of the various photos she had taken over the past 3 weeks into folders on her laptop when Tom arrived.  

“Hey, sushi’s not here yet,” she said.  

Tom joined her on her bed, smiling at the selfie that he & Y/N had taken on the first day of filming.

They turned towards each other at the same time and their eyes locked. Y/N’s breath hitched as Tom's eyes drifted down to her lips, then back up to her eyes. She subconsciously licked her lips.

“You know, Y/N, I--” Tom began.

A sudden knock interrupted them.

Y/N heard Tom mutter something under his breath as she got up to answer the door.

She tipped the delivery driver and brought in the bags of food. Tom was typing something on his phone but put it away when Y/N set the bags down and helped take everything out.

“Haz says to tell you hello.”

Y/N smiled. “Tell him hi back for me.” She dipped a piece of sushi in her eel sauce. “So what's next for you?” she asked.

“Taking some time off before I start filming  _ The Devil All the Time _ . What about you? Don't you start your new job after this?”

Y/N nodded. “I've got a week in between. I had all my stuff shipped to my new apartment in L.A., so when I get back all I need to do is to unpack everything and get settled in.”  

Tom nodded as he chewed thoughtfully.

They finished their dinner and picked up their containers, then Tom suggested scrolling through the rest of the pictures that Y/N had taken during shooting and reminiscing. 

Y/N & Tom both smiled at the selfie Harrison had taken of the three of them at the nightclub the previous week.

“You made quite an impression on him,” Tom said with a grin. “I think he likes you more than he likes me.”

Y/N laughed. “That’s doubtful.”

“I honestly wouldn't blame him though,” Tom said sincerely. “You really are amazing. I wouldn't have gotten through the last 3 weeks without going absolutely bonkers had you not been here.”

Y/N blushed. “Thanks. You're pretty great yourself.”

Tom grinned, then stretched. “It's getting late. I better go.”

They got up and walked to the door.

Y/N grabbed Tom’s hand as he turned towards the door. Hey, wait a second.”

Tom turned back towards her expectantly.

“I just want to say…” Y/N took a deep breath. “In case I don't get a chance to tell you tomorrow, I just wanted to thank you for everything. I've had a wonderful time being your assistant.”

Tom just smiled at Y/N sadly and gently kissed the top of her head. “I'll see you tomorrow evening.”

“See you tomorrow.”

Y/N closed the door behind Tom. Her heart ached. 

She thought a minute, then typed out a text to Laura.  _ I really screwed up with Tom, didn’t I? _

Less than a minute later her phone rang. Y/N hadn’t even gotten the ‘hello’ out when Laura’s voice came over the speaker. “You’re damn right you did.”

Y/N groaned and fell back on her bed. “Gee, thanks for being so brutally honest, Laur.”

Laura laughed. “When is he flying back to London? Tomorrow?”

“No, actually tomorrow night is the wrap party, so he’s not leaving until Sunday afternoon.”

“Well then see, it’s not too late to fix it. You deserve all the happiness in the world, and if being with Tom is what makes you happy, then you deserve him. Screw what anyone else thinks.”

“Thanks, Laur. I appreciate it.”

“You know I’m always here for you.”

Oh, hey, want to meet up for a drink or twelve when I'm back in L.A.? Maybe Monday evening?”

Laura laughed. “Of course. My place?”

“Yeah that's good.” 

“Look, I’ve got to run, but  _ talk to him _ , tell him how you feel _. _ It’s not too late.”

“Thanks, Laura. You’re the best.”

“Later, Y/N.”

“Bye.” 

If someone had told Y/N a month ago that she’d not only be working on the set of  _ Spider-Man: Far From Home, _ but working as the star’s personal assistant and attending the cast & crew wrap party, she’d have told them that they were crazy, but yet here she was. As she drifted off to sleep that night, she thought,  _ Even if I never see Tom again after tomorrow night, I wouldn't trade this experience for anything. _


	12. Chapter 12

Y/N had started packing her things the next morning when her phone rang.

“Hey Laura,” she answered. “What’s up?”

“Hey Y/N,” Laura answered. “I was just on my way to set and wanted to see how you were doing today. Last day in NYC, huh? Doing anything fun?”

“Nah, just starting to get all of my stuff packed so I’m not running around like a crazy person tomorrow. I can’t believe how much extra junk I’ve accumulated over the past 3 weeks.”

Her phone beeped with an incoming call. Tom’s name flashed across the screen _._

“Oh, hold on a sec, Laur. Tom is beeping in.”  She flashed over to accept the call. “Hi, Tom, what’s up?”

“Y/N, I was just checking to see if you were in.”

“Yeah, I’m here.”

“Do you mind if I pop over in a few?”

“No, that’s fine. See you in a bit.”

She flashed back over to Laura. “Hey, sorry about that. Tom’s coming by, can I call you right back?”

“That’s cool. I’ve got some extra time before I have to be on set.”

“Ok. Bye, Laur.”

“Bye, Y/N.”

There was a knock on Y/N’s door as she hung up and Tom’s head popped in. “Y/N? It’s me.”

“Hey, come on in. I’m just packing.” Y/N zipped her suitcase. “So, ready for the party tonight?” she asked.

“Actually, that’s why I’m here,” Tom replied.  “I was thinking maybe we could just head over together? You know, since we’re both going anyway.”

Y/N smiled. “Yeah, I’d like that a lot.”

Tom scratched the back of his neck. “And since today is officially your last day as my assistant, can I take you out for dinner beforehand, um, you know, for old times’ sake?”

Y/N smiled. “I’d love to have dinner with you one last time.”

Tom grinned. “Great! I’ll come ‘round at 5?”

“5 is perfect.”

“Ok, so I’ll see you this afternoon then.”

“See ya.”

Tom gave Y/N a brief hug before letting himself out of the door.

Y/N called Laura back. “Hey, sorry about that.”

“It’s no big deal,” Laura replied.

Suddenly there was another knock on Y/N’s door.

Y/N sighed. “Oh, shoot, hang on one more sec, Laur. I think Tom’s knocking again.” She walked over to the door and opened it. “Did you need something el--” She stopped.

Laura was standing in front of her door, phone pressed to her ear. “Surprise!”

Y/N’s jaw dropped. “LAURA?” She ended the call and pulled her friend into a hug.  “Oh my God, come in! What are you doing here?”

Laura laughed. “We had the weekend off from filming so I don’t have to be back on set until Monday afternoon, and you sounded like you needed your bestie, so… here I am!”

“I can’t believe it, I’m so happy to see you!” Y/N paused. “So wait, when you said that you were on your way to set, you were really on your way _here_?”

Laura nodded. “I had to make sure you were actually here and not out at a bookstore or on a tour or anything.”

Y/N shook her head. “I still can’t believe you! You’re the absolute best, you know that? You HAVE to come to the wrap party with me tonight, especially since you were on the crew for the filming in Europe. I can’t wait to tell Tom that you’re here--” Her eyes widened. “Oh, shit, I literally just made plans to go to dinner and the party with him. That’s ok, I’ll just let him know that I can’t go--”

Laura shook her head. “Absolutely not. You keep your plans, I’ll be fine.”

“No way,” Y/N replied with conviction. “I’m not ditching you when you came all the way from California just to support me. You know what, I’m sure Tom won’t have a problem with you coming too. Let’s go talk to him, he’s right down the hall.”

She grabbed her room key and opened the door, startled to see Tom standing at her door poised to knock. Harrison was standing next to him.

Y/N glanced from Tom to Harrison and back again. “Harrison! Wow, I didn’t know you were coming back into town,” She gave Harrison a quick hug.

Harrison grinned. “Hello, Y/N.”

Y/N stepped out of the doorway. “Come on in, guys.”

Tom and Harrison stepped into the room, Y/N closing the door behind them.

“Um, so I came to tell you that Haz came into town for the party tonight,” Tom began, “but I see that you have a visitor as well…”

“Oh, yeah,” Y/N replied, flustered. “I’d introduce you but it just dawned on me that you guys probably know Laura already.”

Laura nodded and gave a casual wave. “Hi, guys.”

“Ahh yes, Laura, it’s good to see you again,” Tom shook her hand.

Harrison gave Laura a brief hug. “Laura and I hung out on set during filming in Europe.”

“All the crew kinda bonded,” Laura added.

Y/N turned to Tom. “So about tonight… Since Laura and Harrison are both here how about we all go out to dinner together then head to the party?”

Tom glanced over at Harrison, who shrugged. “Oh, erm, ok then. That’s fine.”

“We’ll see you guys at 5 then?”

“Ok.”

As soon as Tom and Harrison left, Laura turned to Y/N. “Ok, what are you wearing tonight?”

Y/N shrugged. “Probably just a top & jeans.”

Laura looked horrified. “Nope, nopity nope nope nope. It’s the wrap party, plus your last night in NYC. We're going shopping to find you something extra hot to wear.”

Y/N and Laura spent the next several hours searching for the perfect outfit, finally deciding on a sleeveless [ red and black lace dress ](https://www.nordstromrack.com/shop/product/2725119/gabby-skye-cap-sleeve-lace-knit-dress?color=REDBLACK). Laura looked up from her phone and nodded firmly when Y/N stepped out of the dressing room. “That's it. That's the dress. You'll knock Tom's socks off, and maybe even the rest of his clothes too.” She winked.

Y/N covered up a grin with her hand. “Laura!” she chided.

Laura laughed. “Come on, Y/N. You can't tell me you haven't thought about it.”

Y/N thought back to Tom wearing nothing but a towel and blushed.

Laura arched an eyebrow. “Mmm hmm, that's what I thought. Now, I saw the perfect shoes that will go with that dress. Change back into your clothes and let's go.”

***********************

When they got back to the hotel around 4 PM Laura begged off of dinner, claiming jet-lag and exhaustion from shopping, and saying that she needed to take a nap and would just meet everyone at the party.

Y/N had just finished getting ready when there was a knock on her door. She turned to Laura. “How do I look?”

“Amazing, girl. Now have a great dinner and I'll see you later, ok?”

Y/N gave Laura a hug. “Ok, see you at the party.”

She took a deep breath and opened the door.

Tom froze when he saw her. “Y/N, you look… Amazing.”

“Thank you,” Y/N replied bashfully.

She exited the room and shut the door behind her.

“Laura’s not coming?” Tom asked.

Y/N shook her head. “Laura said she was tired so she’ll just meet us at the party.” She looked around. “Wait, where’s Harrison?”

“He said something came up - phone conference or something - so he's going to meet us at the party too.” Tom shrugged casually. “So I guess it's just us, then.”

Y/N bit her lip. “Honestly, I don't mind. I'm glad we'll be able to have dinner together one last time, you know, just the two of us, before we go our separate ways tomorrow.”

“Me too.” Tom offered his arm. “Ready?”

“Sure.”

They headed downstairs to where a black SUV was waiting. “Good evening,” the driver said, opening the door for them.

Tom gestured for Y/N to get in first and followed behind her.

“You know, between all the excitement and craziness today I forgot to even ask what you had in mind for dinner,” Y/N said.

Tom smiled at her. “Well, since we had our first official, non-meeting dinner together at Pappardelle, I figured we could go back there for our last as well.”

 _Aww, that's so sweet_ , Y/N thought to herself. “I like that idea.”

The car weaved its way through traffic, finally arriving at Pappardelle. Tom held a hand out to help Y/N out of the car, and to her delight, he didn’t let go until they were seated at their table.

Y/N noticed that Tom looked fidgety throughout dinner, but chalked it up to excitement over filming being completed and the wrap party happening.  She also thought Tom looked like he wanted to tell her something, but each time he would open his mouth they would get interrupted by their server delivering something.

Y/N thought they would get a chance to talk on the way to the warehouse, but their Uber driver was especially chatty and they didn’t really talk much in the car. Finally they arrived, Tom taking Y/N’s hand once again as they walked  into the warehouse.

Y/N was in awe. Tom had told her that Jon would basically turn the warehouse into a nightclub but nothing had prepared her for just how different it would look from when they were filming.

Jon greeted them and told them to enjoy themselves.

They made their way around the warehouse, stopping to talk to various crew members before spotting Zendaya, Jacob, Marisa, and Jon Favreau, who was much more personable in real life than he was as Happy Hogan. Everyone gave Y/N a hug and Marisa, who was definitely the ‘cool aunt’ of the group, said to let her know when Y/N was settled in L.A. so they could have lunch together.

They eventually found Harrison and Laura, who seemed much more refreshed than when Y/N had left her earlier that afternoon.

“Hey guys, how was dinner?” Laura asked.

“Fine, it was fine,” Y/N replied before turning to Harrison. “How did your conference call go?”

“Conference call?” Harrison repeated with a confused expression.

Y/N glanced over at Tom. “Yeah, Tom said you had to skip out on dinner because you had a conference call.”

“Oh, right, my conference call! It went swell, just great. Got loads accomplished. Hated to miss dinner, but you know how it is sometimes.”

Oh, wait, look, there’s Toni,” Laura jumped in quickly. “Harrison, how about we go say hi?”

“Oh, that’s a great idea,” Harrison replied. “We’ll be back in a bit.”

He and Laura rushed off.

“Ok, that was weird,” Y/N said, watching them walk away as the lights dimmed and the DJ that Jon had hired started playing.

Tom tilted his head toward the makeshift dance floor. “Would you like to dance?”

Y/N grinned. “Sure.”

Tom pulled her out onto the dance floor, the memory of them dancing in the nightclub a few weeks earlier coming back to Y/N. After a few songs, the beat slowed down. Y/N took Tom’s offered hand without hesitation, Tom pulling her in close.

Y/N inhaled Tom’s scent, trying to commit it to memory. The realization that filming was well and truly over and that tomorrow would likely be the last time she saw Tom again suddenly hit her. “I’m going to miss you when you go back to London tomorrow,” she confessed, resting her head on Tom’s chest.

Tom cleared his throat. “What if you don’t have to?” he asked.

“What?” Y/N replied in confusion, looking up at him.

“What if I wasn’t going back to London for a while?”

“What do you mean?”

Tom looked around and spotted Harrison and Laura talking to a few of the crew members. “Wait, let’s go somewhere quieter.” He led Y/N to a small hallway off of the main warehouse floor.

“So, what were you saying?” Y/N asked.

Tom fidgeted. “Ok, so no one knows except Haz and my family, but a few months ago I bought a house out in Los Angeles because I’m planning on splitting my time between there and London since so much of my work is filmed in the States.”

“Okay,” Y/N replied.

“That’s what I was trying to tell you at dinner. My flight tomorrow isn’t going back to London, Y/N. It’s going to Los Angeles, where I’ll be for the next several months until I have to start filming _The Devil All the Time_. We’re going to be in the same city, Y/N, and I’d like to be able to see you.”

“Well then, yeah, of course we can hang out,” Y/N replied.

Tom shook his head and took Y/N's hands in his own. “I don’t mean as just friends,” he murmured. “You are beautiful, kind, funny, and absolutely brilliant. I’m totally mad about you, Y/N, and I’d like to take you on a proper date once we’re back in L.A.”

He caressed Y/N’s face, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ears. The familiar gesture brought back the memory of their kiss, and along with it all of Y/N's feelings she had been so desperately trying to forget. She blinked back tears and nodded. “I’d like that a lot.”

A relieved grin bloomed on Tom’s face. “Yeah?” he asked.

“Yeah.”

Tom held her gaze. “By the way, I’m completely sober right now,” he said.

Y/N wrinkled her brow quizzically. “Okay?”

Tom grinned. “Just wanted that to be clear before I did this.” He pulled Y/N into his arms and pressed his lips to hers.

Y/N melted into Tom’s embrace, wrapping her arms around his neck and tangling her fingers in his hair as Tom deepened the kiss.

Neither one noticed the fist-bump that Harrison and Laura gave each other before they slipped out of the hallway.


	13. Epilogue

*******************8 Months Later********************

“Ready for your big-screen debut?”

Y/N glanced up from her reflection in the mirror in Tom's bedroom as Tom walked in. She laughed. “Sure, if that take even made it into the movie.”

“Oh, I'm sure it did, darling. You stole the scene.”

Y/N smirked. “Oh yes, I walked across the street better than anyone else ever has in the history of cinema. I should start practicing my Oscars acceptance speech!” 

Tom playfully nudged her. “Just remember us little people when you’re famous.”

Y/N arched an eyebrow. “Right... and who exactly is the star of the film we’re going to the premiere of?” She sighed. “I can't believe it’s already here. Seems like just yesterday we were in New York for filming.”

Tom grinned as he came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and placing his head on her shoulder. “Time flies when you're having fun, doesn't it, love?”

Y/N grinned back at him in the mirror. “It sure does.” She turned and put her arms around Tom's neck. “But there's no one else I'd rather have fun with than you, babe.” She gave him a quick kiss. “Oh, hey, I got you something.”

“Oh?” Tom replied.

Y/N walked over to where her overnight bag was sitting on Tom's bed and pulled out a small velvet bag. She handed the bag to Tom, watching as he pulled the drawstrings open and shook the contents out into his palm.  His face lit up.

“I thought you could wear them to the premiere if you wanted,” Y/N explained as Tom examined the Spiderman cufflinks and tie clip closer.

“Absolutely, I love these!” Tom quickly switched out his cufflinks and tie clip for his new ones, checking himself out in the mirror to make sure his tie clip was straight.

Y/N grinned and kissed him on the cheek.  “Perfect. Now, help me with my necklace please?”

“Sure, darling,” Tom replied.

Y/N walked over to her bag, got her necklace out, and handed it to Tom, then turned around and moved her hair off of her neck.

Tom fastened the necklace around Y/N's neck, caressing her neck with his fingers as he straightened it and placing a small kiss under her ear.

Y/N shivered, taking a sharp breath. She could feel the love in his gentle touch. She turned around to face Tom.

“Have I mentioned lately how much I love you?” she asked.

Tom smiled. “Not in the last 10 minutes,” he joked. “I could probably use a reminder.”

Y/N ran her fingers through Tom's hair, which had been artfully styled into messy curls for the premiere. “I love you so much,” she said.

“I love you too,” Tom replied. “More than anything.” His expression suddenly got serious. “Actually, I--”

They were interrupted by Tom's phone ringing.

“Augh, hold on.” Tom fished his phone out of his pocket. “Hello? Yeah, hey, mate. Yeah, we’re ready. Ok, sounds perfect. Ok, see you there.”

“That was Haz. He said the car will be here in 10 minutes,” he explained.

Y/N nodded. “So, how do I look? Premiere-worthy?”

“Absolutely beautiful,” Tom replied. “Although I think something is missing.”

Y/N frowned. “Oh?” She turned back towards the mirror in Tom's room and looked at her outfit. “What is it?”

She turned back around to see Tom on one knee, a beautiful diamond ring in his hands.

Y/N gasped, her eyes widening and her hands flying up to her mouth. Tears filled her eyes.

Tom cleared his throat. “I was going to wait until after the premiere but the more I thought about it the more I feel like I have to do this now. Y/N, these past 8 months with you have been some of the best of my life. The day I met you I walked into that restaurant not knowing just how much you would change my life for the better. I was expecting just a temporary assistant, but what I got was so much more. I couldn't leave New York without asking you to go on a date with me when we arrived back here in L.A., and now I can't walk into the premiere without having asked you if you'll be my wife. Y/N, will you do me the honor of accepting my hand in marriage?”

***********************************************************

“Welcome back to the red carpet for the premiere of Spider-Man: Far from Home where we are live with Tom Holland, yes that’s right, Spider-Man himself, who has just been joined by his girlfriend, literary publicist Y/N Y/L/N. Tom and Y/N, it’s been rumored that you two actually met on the set of Far from Home. Is that true?”

Y/N and Tom looked at each other with a smile.  “Yes, actually, it is true,” Tom answered. “Sony hired Y/N as my assistant for the New York part of filming and we hit it off straight away, although we didn’t officially start dating until after filming had wrapped.”

Y/N threaded her fingers through Tom’s, his thumb lovingly caressing the finger that he had placed a ring on not long before.

Although Y/N had accepted Tom's proposal with a tearful and resounding “YES, OF COURSE!” they ultimately had decided together to wait until after the film's release to make their engagement public, so as to not overshadow the release. “Actually I was originally hired as a production assistant,” she clarified, “but was reassigned as Tom's personal assistant before I could begin.”

“So, Y/N, what was it like being Tom’s assistant on set?”

Y/N grinned and looked at Tom lovingly. “I’d have to say that while I absolutely love my current job, being Tom's assistant on the Far from Home set was quite honestly the best job ever.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who has commented on & kudo'ed this story -- Writers crave feedback and I appreciate each and every one of you!

**Author's Note:**

> My requests are always open! Visit me on Tumblr (trashcanmarvelfan).


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